Catch You Later
by JinnySkeans
Summary: Her voice was warm, sweet honey in his ear as she murmured, "Then come and find me, Sasuke-kun." It's the last summer before college, and he won't let her get away so easily. Posted: Epilogue!
1. Parting Words

Sasuke kept his face expressionless, but his heart hammered thunderously, traitorously in his chest. He knew his close proximity to Sakura would give him away instantly, and that it already had, if the knowing gleam in her expressive green eyes was any indication. She looked up at him with a gaze that managed to combine incredulity with innocence, passion with fear, excitement with naivete.

This seemed to be the moment, then. Sasuke, if he had to be honest with himself, knew that it was a long time coming. It would be a surprise to no one except perhaps Sakura, what was about to transpire between the two of them. It also seemed fitting, that they would stand before one another in these precious first minutes after graduation, celebrating the end of an era as just friends, and beginning their future as something more.

She was stunning in her white cap and gown, long pink hair loose and curling slightly at the ends, her bangs pulled back to hide nothing of her flawless face. Green eyes framed by long, black eyelashes that tangled at the corners, a delicate nose and two pink lips, the bottom one marginally fuller than the top, her skin pale and almost luminescent in the early evening light. She looked up at him with those shimmering eyes that could hide nothing, and he was powerless to stop his hands, rising slowly towards her slim hips, as he took a step towards her...

"OI! TEME!" A jubilant, ear-shattering shout broke the moment. Before Sasuke's eyes, the wonder in Sakura's expression vanished, replaced effortlessly and immediately by irritation and amusement, an expression she reserved for...

"Naruto you jackass," Sasuke snapped, with much more venom than the situation called for, considering his dimwitted best friend's ignorance as to what he had just heinously interrupted.

"WE GRADUATED!" Naruto bellowed, as though it were news to Sasuke. All around them their friends chuckled and rolled their eyes; Naruto's antics were nothing new, and if anything, his childish excitement only made him more endearing. He slung an arm around Sasuke's shoulder and was promptly rebuffed, only to redirect his attention to the pink-haired valedictorian standing strangely close to Sasuke.

"Sakura-chan you were great!" Naruto crowed. He seized her, lifting her clean off her feet, and spun her around in a circle while she giggled and protested halfheartedly. "We all knew you'd be valedictorian! Congratulations, I'm so proud of you!"

Now firmly on her feet again, Sakura smiled. "Thanks, Naruto. But it would've been Shikamaru, if he had actually applied himself." Here she spared Shikamaru a teasing wink, and he sighed.

"Troublesome woman, you deserved it."

Beside Shikamaru was a glowing Ino, holding her honors diploma with her eyes full of tears.

"I can't believe it's..._over,_" she sighed dramatically.

"Hardly," Kiba snorted. "Most of us are going to Konoha U, right? We're stuck together for the next four years!"

"That's not the _point,_ dogbreath!" Ino's voice had lost its dreamy quality and was now injected with all the heat and venom she could produce. Sakura giggled at her best friend and quickly hugged her.

"I know what you mean, Ino-pig," she said. "But we still have the summer, right? Plenty of time, plenty of opportunities, and we can't let them go to waste."

Over Ino's shoulder, Sakura's eyes flickered up to lock with Sasuke's. He felt a shiver rocket through his spine at the double meaning behind her words. Scoffing slightly, at what he did not know, he shoved his hands into his pockets, badtempered and frustrated over things he could not possibly understand.

"Ex-Excuse me," Hinata piped up, and she promptly blushed when everyone looked at her. "B-But Sarutobi-sensei n-needs our g-graduation caps and g-g-gowns back n-now."

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto shouted. He swept her up in a one-armed hug that made her pink cheeks flush scarlet. "We did it, Hinata-chan! We graduated! Can you believe it?"

"She's gonna faint, Naruto," Kiba muttered.

"No she's not, she's...Hinata-chan? HINATA-CHAN!"

Sakura rolled her eyes as she stripped off her cap and gown, revealing a white cotton dress beneath it. Sasuke fought very hard against the sight of such an innocent-looking garment, and how very impossibly cute he found Sakura to be wearing it. She gave her long pink hair a shake, bangs falling back into place on the forehead she had long since grown into and she smiled a mile wide.

"Ino-pig," she said suddenly, the smile turning suddenly mischievous. "Why don't we take a road trip?"

"Eh?" Ino asked, attention caught at the promise of a pointless adventure. "Road trip? Road trip where?"

"Anywhere," Sakura replied breathlessly. "Let's just...let's just go."

"Sweet!" Kiba shouted. He wrapped an arm around Sakura's shoulders that Sasuke suddenly wanted to snap off. "When do we leave?"

Ino stared hard into Sakura's eyes and was able to read something in there that Sasuke simply could not grasp. The two best friends shared a connection that he almost envied. There was so much about Sakura that Sasuke did not know, and so much that Ino knew without even trying.

"_You're_ not leaving anywhere," Ino said rudely to Kiba. She primped the less-sweet, more-revealing white dress she had been wearing beneath her gown. "_We're_ leaving tonight. You, too, Hinata-chan," she added quickly to the girl now stirring in Naruto's arms.

"W-What?" Hinata stammered in surprise.

"We're going on a road trip. Girls only." Ino's blue eyes now reflected the same dreaminess and mischief that glowed in Sakura's. "Now let's take these stupid pictures for our families, get our shit packed up, and get the hell out of here!"

Sasuke did not like the idea of Sakura leaving on a road trip by herself.

He told her so.

"I'm not gonna be by myself, Sasuke-kun," she replied, and she smiled winningly at the flashing cameras of her friends' parents. "Ino-pig and Hinata-chan are coming, too."

"Tch," he scoffed. He would not pose for this pointless photo shoot, but he didn't move away from the group all the same, something he considered a compromise. "Even less comforting."

The more he thought about it, the more the concept offended him. He could just picture it. Sakura, breathtakingly beautiful and frustratingly naive, suckered into one of Yamanaka's half-cocked manhunts while the Hyuuga oddity stuttered and fainted in the background. Who the hell was supposed to keep an eye on her?

"Don't go," Sasuke said.

Sakura looked up at him and he for the life of him could not read the emotion on her face.

"Why?" she asked finally.

_Because it's too dangerous._

_Because you're too naive._

_Because I'd miss you._

_Because I like you._

_Because I..._

"Because you're annoying."

Sakura sighed, then smiled, then stood on tiptoe to kiss Sasuke on the cheek. He froze at the contact, semiaware that Naruto's uncle Jiraiya had managed a snapshot of the moment, and promptly forgot about that when Sakura breathed her next words into his ear.

"Then come and find me, Sasuke-kun."

Her voice was warm, sweet honey and it electrified every nerve and neuron in his body. He turned to face her, and caught only a private, knowing smile on her face before, with a flip of her thick pink hair, she disappeared into the crowd of celebrating students.


	2. Challenges and Choices

Sasuke couldn't shake her words out of his mind.

_Then come and find me, Sasuke-kun._

Growling under his breath, he stood beneath the punishing spray of a scalding hot shower, trying his damnedest to put her out of his head.

_Idiot,_ he chastised himself. _She wants you to go after her._

He scoffed at the very idea. Stalking his long-time best friend and love interest across the Five Nations was not how he intended to spend his summer.

But he couldn't help but picture the upcoming holidays, should he let Sakura run off on her own. He knew exactly how his days would be spent, brooding furiously alone, or with Naruto and the other guys, pretending like her absence didn't affect him while degenerating into a mess of fury and anxiety.

Didn't she know how dangerous it was?

Sakura, despite winning both Homecoming Queen and Prom Queen, and despite the trail of admirers she had that went on for miles, seemed ignorant to her own beauty and appeal. Her innocence made her all the more attractive, and she was too naive, too trusting to keep herself out of trouble. Yamanaka was just as attractive and far bolder than her best friend, and would relish any male attention they received on their journey. Even Hinata was appealing in a seemingly Naruto-specific way. Three girls traveling across the dangerous countryside, without any male protection whatsoever?

Sasuke growled as he pictured Sakura sitting innocently at a bar, approached by a faceless man, smiling sweetly at him as he emptied a roofie into her drink...

"Fuck," he swore, stalking out of the shower. He dried himself off and dressed hurriedly in a pair of white shorts and a navy blue shirt. He seized his cell phone, intent on calling Sakura and telling her how much of an idiot she was and why, when he was interrupted by the sound of impatient banging on his door.

Furious by now, Sasuke opened the door with much more force than necessary, to find a grinning Naruto standing in the threshold. Behind him were Shikamaru, arms folded and eyes closed in boredom, and Kiba, smirking slyly at him.

They all had backpacks.

"What." Sasuke's voice was angry even as he slowly caught onto Naruto's plan.

"Get your shit together, teme, let's go," said his best friend with a wide grin and a gleam in his sky-blue eyes. "The girls just left."

"Tch, you're gonna follow them?" Sasuke scoffed.

"No. _We're_ gonna follow them."

"And what makes you think I..."

"We all saw your face when Sakura-chan told you, teme," Naruto cut across him swiftly. It annoyed Sasuke to no end how well his best friend could read him. "And we all know you're not gonna let her go all by herself."

"Hey, Naruto, if he doesn't want to go, he doesn't have to," Kiba said lightly. "The three of us are enough to find where they went. I'm sure Sakura-chan would be happy to see me once we..."

"I'm driving."

The words were out before Sasuke could so much as think. Once he said them, he cursed himself before stomping back inside to pack a bag.

_You think you can run away from me, Sakura?_ he thought. A ghost of a smirk, closer to a smile than anything, crossed his face as he pictured what he would do when he caught up to her. _You're wrong. This is one opportunity that we're not going to waste._

It was several hours to the border of Fire Country.

Sakura had never in her life felt freer.

The girls had pulled the top down on Ino's purple Jeep and were cruising down the highway, the wind racing through their hair as they followed the setting sun. Hinata controlled an iPod speaker system that blared out the boy band songs they hadn't heard since childhood as they screamed the lyrics to passing cars, laughing and giddy and so _free._

For the next few weeks, there would be no burdens, no responsibilities. No towering stack of textbooks to pore over, no grueling ballet practices to attend, no impossible standards to live up to. No strict, disapproving father or shallow, appearance-obsessed mother to get on her case. Nothing in the immediate future but her two best friends, and the adventure of a lifetime.

And, even if she would only admit it to herself and never aloud, the possibility of something more with the boy who had stolen her heart years ago, and never gave it back.

While Ino and Hinata belted out a particularly raucous chorus, Sakura took the opportunity to look out the window at the scenery rushing by, her last encounter with Sasuke playing back in her mind.

He had looked so heartbreakingly gorgeous that day, surly and aloof as ever, the same disapproving look in his bottomless black eyes that he gave to almost every single one of her backwards adventure schemes.

Contrary to popular belief, Sakura was not entirely ignorant about the stoic Uchiha boy's growing affection for her.

She liked to believe that as one of his closest friends, next to Naruto, she knew him better than most. She could interpret his rude comments and surly looks for what they really were: things he couldn't articulate out loud. Things like concern, and worry. Things like affection. Things like...

She stopped herself. She wouldn't use that word just yet. It wouldn't do to put more faith in Uchiha Sasuke than he actually deserved, and end up with a broken heart.

She would see for herself how this played out.

She knew Sasuke hated the idea of her going out on her own, even if it was with Ino and Hinata. He had always had very little tolerance for her going anywhere alone or unprotected, and had gotten into more than a few fights over her that she doubted he knew she was aware of.

This was not only one last hurrah with the two girls she had been best friends with since kindergarten.

This was a test of Sasuke's feelings for her.

If he let her go, then she would be free of everything from her past, including dark-eyed heartbreakers. She would let him go as well. She would accept Kiba's relentless romantic advances, or another boy's; she would cut her losses, protect the shattered remains of her heart, piece herself back together again, and find someone else to make her happy. She would learn to relegate Sasuke to the role of "friend only" forever.

But if he came to find her?

A knowing smile crossed her face.

_If he finds me,_ she thought, tilting her sunglasses back to feel the wind on her face, _then I'll know...and I'll never leave him again._

Sasuke gripped the steering wheel unnecessarily hard as he veered onto the highway. If Naruto's dumbass calculations were correct, the girls were about three hours' travel ahead of them, assuming they hadn't made any stops.

His frustration was mounting, because he was jammed into his car with his idiot best friend, their laziest friend, and their horniest friend, and would be for the foreseeable future.

He almost began to regret his decision to come, but one thought of Sakura on a beach in her bikini, easy prey for any guy twice her size, brought him back to his senses, and he gunned the gas a little harder.

"I know!" Naruto chirped from the passenger seat, voice louder than usual over the radio, and Sasuke grimaced. "Why don't I try calling Hinata-chan!"

"You mean you haven't called her yet?" Sasuke snapped. "They don't even know we're coming?"

"Nope!" Naruto replied cheerfully. "I thought it'd be way cool to be a surprise!"

"Idiot," scoffed Shikamaru from the back. His eyes were closed. "How are we supposed to know where they even went then?"

"Yeah, dumbass, are we going the right way or what?" Kiba chimed in furiously.

"Sheesh, calm down!" Naruto looked irritated with the way his idea had been perceived. "I got it out of Hinata-chan before they left that they were heading to Suna first."

"Call her, asshole," Sasuke ordered. "I'm not wasting my time searching all over the damn country for them."

It was getting dark. Hopefully Sakura had the sense to get her girlfriends to stop traveling soon, and find somewhere safe to stay overnight. Out of the lot of them, surely she had the presence of mind not to drive all through the night.

Naruto dialed Hinata's phone number, and when she answered on the third ring, let out a jubilant shout of, "HEY HINATA-CHAN! IT'S NARUTO! WHERE ARE YOU GIRLS!"

There was a moan and then silence on the other line before Ino's loud and obnoxious voice took over.

"She fainted, you fucking moron!" she yelled, causing Naruto and the three other guys in the car to wince at her volume. "What the hell do you want!"

"Ah, sorry, Ino...look, where are you guys? I'm with Shikamaru and Kiba and the Teme, where can we meet up with you all?"

"Jesus, what part of boys-not-allowed don't you idiots understand? We're on a girls' trip. We're not telling you where we are!"

"That's it."

Sasuke's patience had run out. With superhuman dexterity, he swerved off the main road and into a gas station, pulling up with a screeching halt beside the pump. "Give me the phone, dobe. One of you, fill up the tank."

He snatched Naruto's phone and snapped, "It's Sasuke. Get Sakura, put her on."

"Sheesh, pushy." Ino's indignant mumble made him roll his eyes. "Give my love and kisses to Shikamaru!"

_Like hell,_ he thought irritably. There was the sound of the phone being handed over as Sasuke left his friends in the car, and stood outside to give him some pseudo-privacy with Sakura. Her breezy voice answered softly, "Hello?"

"It's Sasuke."

"Oh, hey, Sasuke-kun." He heard the smile in her voice, and felt his anger cool just slightly. "What's up?"

Her innocuous query brought back all of his annoyance. "Don't 'what's up' me," he snapped. She giggled in response, and his ears burned. One of the things he both loved and loathed about Sakura was how little she feared him. "Tell me where you are."

"I can't do that, Sasuke-kun."

"Tch."

"I can't. This is something the girls and I have to do. If you want to find me, come and find me. I know you can."

"Sakura this isn't a game. It's dangerous. Especially for you."

He should have expected her anger. "What do you mean, especially for me?" she demanded heatedly. "Are you insinuating I can't take care of myself?"

"Hn."

"Damn it, Sasuke-kun! I think I'm entitled to a little fun and relaxation every now and again. I'm sorry if that cramps your style."

"This isn't about me, idiot, it's not safe for you all to go off on your own like this."

"It's perfectly safe, what could go wrong? We're not taking any back roads or anything, we're right on the highway, about to head into a hotel!"

Sasuke smirked. She had unwittingly given away two key facts that made him feel slightly better about the whole scenario: firstly, that they had had the common sense to keep to the main roads, and secondly, that they were about to tuck in for the night. They could catch up to them in no time.

"Which one?"

"Nice try."

"I'm gonna catch up to you, Sakura. You know I will." The anger was gone from his voice, replaced with cool smugness, and that maddening self-satisfaction that both infuriated and enraptured his pink-haired prey.

"And what if I'm counting on that?" she countered.

Sasuke felt his cheeks burn, and self-consciously rubbed the back of his neck. Glad that the other guys had vanished into the gas station in pursuit of snacks, he replied, "What's that supposed to mean."

"I think you know, Sasuke-kun. Neither one of us is as oblivious as the other thinks. But just know, I'm not gonna make it easy for you."

"If you're trying to scare me, you'll have to work harder."

"Scare you? Nope, just being honest, so you know what to expect. I AM smarter than you, you know. Maybe I'll only be caught when I want to be caught. But if you miss me so much already, maybe I'll give you a hint."

"Tch. I'm not gonna need a hint."

"Okay, then!" she sang. "Have a nice night, Sasuke-kun!"

Click.

Bitch.

He smirked, and liked her a little bit more. Annoying.


	3. The Intimate Details

The hotel was not necessarily grungy, but Sakura had certainly been to better in her life.

Really, they were lucky to have a room at all, what with how busy Suna was during the summer.

"Let's head up to the room, I'm starving," Ino bemoaned. She slipped a tenspot to a bellhop, who was now laden down with four suitcases, all of them hers, while Sakura and Hinata, who had packed far more prudently, wheeled theirs behind them into the elevator to the third floor.

It was late, nearing midnight, and the girls had driven straight through Konoha to the Suna border over the last six hours. They had had their graduation ceremony just that morning, but it felt like an eternity ago. By now, they were tired and hungry; a relaxing night in the Suna Sun Deluxe Hotel would do them wonders, and they had plans to hit the road early and head for the beach. Suna was reviled for its deserts, but renowned for its pristine white sand beaches.

"Suna Sun Deluxe," Hinata read from the brochure. "Well, I d-don't know about Deluxe but it's not that bad..."

"Oh please. This fleabitten motel shouldn't even be operational." Ino was Ino.

Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes. "Let's feed the pig before she gets even fussier, huh, Hinata-chan?"

"And just what exactly is that supposed to mean, Forehead?"

"What did you just call me?"

"BILLBOARD BROW!"

"PIG!"

"_BILLBOARD BROW!_"

The bellhop looked terrified as the girls unlocked the door to their room; he hastily deposited Ino's things and scurried away before the two quarreling beauties could redirect their hellish rage onto him.

"Oh, it's not so bad in here!" Ino said optimistically, bad mood vanishing in the face of fine furnishings. There were two full-size beds that looked clean and comfortable, a flat-screen TV and a decent-sized bathroom.

"Dibs on my own bed!" Sakura exclaimed suddenly, inspiring another argument.

"Excuse me? Why do YOU get the bed alone?"

"I realize that your massive size often entitles you to more space, but you'll just have to suck it in and squeeze some room for Hinata-chan."

"Are you calling me FAT, you MASSIVE FOREHEAD FREAK OF NATURE?"

"I grew into my forehead years ago, piglet, find another insult!"

"BILLBOARD BROWWWWWW!"

Hinata slapped her forehead. What the hell had she gotten herself into?

Irritated, Sasuke pulled into the first hotel he could find. His patience had completely run out with his so-called friends, who were pressuring him to reveal his conversation with Sakura.

"Just let it go, dobe," he growled as he shifted into Park beside a beat-up purple Jeep.

"No," snapped Naruto with a shit-eating grin that made Sasuke's stomach turn. "I want to know EXACTLY what she said to you, it's important evidence that could lead us to the girls!"

"Bullshit."

"No, Uchiha, Naruto's got a point," Kiba said with a grin to rival Naruto's. They followed a sulking Sasuke out of the car towards the check-in desk. "Any...ah...intimate details could be pernitent to the case."

"'Pertinent,'" corrected Shikamaru with a pained expression, as though the strain of even uttering the word was overwhelming.

"Tch, intimate details," scoffed Sasuke dismissively.

At this, the rest of them, even Shikamaru, burst out laughing.

"HAHAHA SERIOUSLY!" Naruto crowed as they entered the crowded lobby, earning more than a few disapproving glares from the other hotel patrons. "As if TEME could be INTIMATE!"

Sasuke shot him a glare that could have set the entire building ablaze.

"Too bad for Sakura-chan," Kiba sighed.

Sasuke shot him a glare even fiercer than that.

"Shut your mouths if you don't want me to kill you," he snarled softly, "and let's just get a fucking room."

He stalked furiously to the concierge desk, intimidating the poor man with a hideous sneer on his face and demanded rather than asked for a room. He slapped his credit card down, irritated that he was paying for this idiotic endeavor on top of everything else, and grabbed one of the room keys and headed upstairs without waiting for his friends.

_What the fucking hell was I thinking?_


	4. Pizza, Wine, and Elevator Creeps

It was Hinata's turn in the shower, and Sakura and Ino sat on the floor, a pizza box and a bottle of wine between them. Ino had set her long blonde hair into plastic rollers and, in between bites of sausage-pepperoni, was applying a sleeping mask with a practiced hand. Sakura's hair was still damp and pinned beneath a towel turban, and she wore a pair of shorts and an oversized hoodie that belonged to Sasuke. The TV was playing some Lifetime movie that neither was paying attention to; now that Hinata had disappeared into the bathroom, Ino could confront the issue at hand.

"So spill, Forehead," she said, polishing off a pizza crust and smirking at Sakura's half-assed glare. "This trip...why are we really going?"

Sakura smiled and sighed. "It's not enough to want a road trip with my two best friends?"

"Nope. I know you better than that. We could have had a great time bringing the guys along...so why are we making them chase us?"

"You don't think it's a refreshing change?" Sakura asked quietly.

Ino raised an eyebrow.

"I chased Sasuke-kun down up through junior high, and look where it got me. He ended up transferring to Oto Academy, and I didn't see him till he came back in junior year. Everyone thinks we're into each other, but we're both too scared to do anything about it. So...I don't know. I know he doesn't like the idea of me going anywhere without an armed escort, so...maybe this was the only way I could make sure Sasuke-kun was thinking of me this summer."

"Ooh, very devious, Forehead," Ino said, smirking at her best friend. "Very devious indeed. But why didn't you just tell him how you felt before we left?"

"I was going to," Sakura replied with a frown as she recalled their last meeting.

"You could have, since you know he's head over heels for you," Ino pressed.

"Well I DON'T know that. Not for sure, anyway. It's so much harder to tell with Sasuke-kun. And frankly...I told him I loved him when we were kids. He didn't say anything back besides 'thank you' before getting on that bus, and that was the last I saw him for years. If he really feels like that about me...then I want him to tell me first."

"And if he doesn't? You know that for as gorgeous as Sasuke is, he's also emotionally crippled."

"If he doesn't...then I gave it my best shot, you know? It'll hurt but I'll move on. No regrets. Plus, what better way to heal a broken heart than to drive around and do whatever I fucking want with my best friends?"

"It's a hell of plan, Forehead, I gotta hand it to you."

"But what about you?" Sakura smirked as she took a swig of cheap wine from the bottle. "Shikamaru's with Sasuke-kun and the others. Aren't you just a little _excited_ that he didn't think it was too troublesome to come after you?"

Sakura was rewarded with the rare sight of a fierce, electric blush spreading across Ino's cheeks, and burst out laughing.

"Shut up, asshole," Ino hissed. "I really just...can't believe he came. I mean I knew Sasuke and Naruto would hunt you down to the ends of the earth, but Shikamaru? He just wanted to lay on the grass and watch the fuckingdamn clouds go by all damn summer...this is so unlike him!"

"He's into you," Sakura said flatly, and at Ino's incredulous look, she snapped, "Oh don't be so naive. What else could have dragged his lazy ass across the country in a car with Sasuke-kun, Naruto, and _Kiba?_"

"Yeah, Kiba coming is probably the most interesting part."

"Hmm? How's that."

"It's obvious, idiot. Naruto's coming because he needs to salivate after Hinata. Sasuke obviously came because he needs to protect you from all the dangers of the world that he invented because he's too dumb to realize that he worries about you because he wants your fineass body. Don't give me that look, dumbass, you know it's true. Anyway, Shikamaru came because he wants MY fineass body...Kiba coming? Love triangle."

"Wow...you think Kiba's into Hinata-chan?" asked Sakura interestedly.

At Ino's shocked expression, she frowned and put the wine bottle down. "What?"

"No you damn fucking IDIOT, Kiba's into _you!_ He probably came to try and sweep you away from Sasuke-kun!"

"Oh, now you're being ridiculous. Kiba does NOT like me like that."

"The hell he doesn't. Why do you think Sasuke hates him so much?"

"Because...Sasuke-kun's a cat person?"

"It shocks me that you were valedictorian of anything. Airhead."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Then it's war."

With that Sakura whipped out her iPhone, pointed it right at Ino's monstrous face, and snapped a picture. With a smirk of pure spiteful victory, she sent it to Sasuke with the message: "Here, stalker. Show it to the other stalkers. Happy summer!"

"You...you _traitor!_" Ino thundered, jumping to her feet and examining her reflection in the mirror. A thick cream-colored paste covered her entire face except for two bright blue eyes, and her normally lustrous blonde hair was swept into old-lady style curlers that gave her the look of a deranged madwoman. Sakura burst out laughing and dodged Ino's tackle, sprinting out of the room and down the hall.

Sasuke was cursing silentlly under his breath. The key the concierge had given him must have been demagnetized; every time he slid it into the slot, a little red light flashed and the door remained steadfastly locked. Was everyone in the damn _universe_ working against him?

A vibration in his shorts pocket broke his concentration. He whipped out his iPhone to see a picture message from...

"Sakura?" he mumbled, frowning. He opened it, and was greeted with the sight of some gruesome, grotesque, disfigured creature with a skin disease and blonde hair curled around thick rollers.

It took him a moment to place the face, but once he recognized it as Ino, he couldn't stop the low chuckle that formed in his throat. Sasuke was not one to laugh very often, but it seemed that whenever he did, it had something to do with the girl he was currently hunting down.

So distracted by the hilarious photo, he didn't notice a girl running towards him, shrieking with laughter. She, apparently, didn't notice him either, since she barreled right into him.

"What the fuck," he muttered, righting himself.

"Sorry!" the girl shrieked without stopping to properly apologize. He glared after her, the towel around her head concealing any identifying features. She wore a hooded sweatshirt though with a name on the back, but she had vaulted around the corner and out of his sight before he could make it out.

"Tch," he scoffed in annoyance. He tried the key once more, and was successful. Thoroughly hating every single member of the female persuasion, he stalked into the room and slammed the door.

It took Naruto, Shikamaru, and Kiba another twenty minutes to reach the room, which suited Sasuke fine. He had had first dibs on the shower before Naruto could contaminate it with his germs, and selected one of the single beds for his own. He lay on it now, hoping to sleep off this incredibly frustrating day, but had made the mistake of sending the picture to his friends as Sakura had ordered, and it seemed that they all wanted nothing more than to discuss it.

"She looked like a fucking hot MESS!" Naruto bellowed with laughter.

"Who?" Shikamaru asked lazily; he had not yet checked his cell phone, believing it to be too much work. He took the other single, pushing a hysterical Naruto off of it and onto the floor.

"Your girl, genius," Kiba sneered. At Shikamaru's blank expression, he rolled his eyes and produced his cell phone, showing him the picture that had inspired so much hilarity in their group that night.

Shikamaru glanced at it, sighed in exasperation, and rolled his eyes. "She does that every night, it's her routine," he muttered.

"How do YOU know what she does every night?" demanded Naruto gleefully. Sasuke snorted derisively from the bed but didn't move.

"Troublesome. But you're too busy laughing at it to realize that Sakura tripped up and made a mistake."

"Mistake?" Naruto asked in confusion. Behind him, Sasuke sat up and looked around in interest. "What do you mean, mistake?"

"She's trying to hide their whereabouts," he replied lazily, yawning. "But look in the background...behind Ino."

"Behind the yeti," mumbled Naruto, examining the photo again, Sasuke and Kiba looking over his shoulder as well. "Just looks like a chair...and a balcony. I don't get it, Shikamaru, how did Sakura-chan screw up?"

But Sasuke's sharp eyes had caught it as well. He jumped out of bed, triumphant smirk on his face as he tugged a jacket on over his t-shirt and shoved his feet into a pair of sneakers.

"It's the same chair as the one in our room," Shikamaru clarified with the heaviest sigh in the world. "You idiot. They're in the same hotel as us. Right now."

Sasuke all but sprinted out the door. _You made it too easy, Sakura,_ he thought. _I'm disappointed...I thought this would be way more challenging._

Remembering the girl who had barreled into him in the hallway, and the curious strength behind someone so small, he put the pieces together. _That was Sakura...I just couldn't tell since her hair was hidden by that towel...and even the fucking Jeep I parked next to, that was Yamanaka's..._

Thrilled with himself for beating Sakura at her own game, and so quickly as well, he charged down the hall the same way she had gone. _I win, Sakura!_

Sakura gave it about a half hour, waiting for Ino to calm down from her rage, wandering aimlessly around the hotel, before she decided it was safe to return to the room. Giggling at her successful prank, she turned around and stepped into the elevator, pressing the button for the third floor.

The second the doors closed, Sakura unwound the towel from around her head and shook her pink hair out over her shoulders, sighing a little in relief. Perhaps one of the best feelings of the day was shaking out her hair. Pleased, she hummed lightly to herself before hearing the ominous sound of a throat clearing behind her.

"Gotcha," a dark, masculine voice whispered in her ear, before strong fingers closed around her shoulder.

Stiffening, and remembering Sasuke's repetitive warnings that she couldn't take care of herself and needed constant protection, Sakura reacted in the span of a moment. With a sharp cry, she turned on her heel and threw the towel she had had wrapped around her hair into the face of her attacker. He stumbled back, confused, with a gruff, "What the fucking hell..." as the doors opened again at the third floor.

"Keep your hands off me, you creep!" Sakura shouted, and while the tall man who had grabbed her struggled with the towel, she kicked him hard between the legs and danced out of the elevator as the doors closed between them. She was rewarded with his pained groan and the sight of him collapsing to his knees before the elevator descended.

Laying in a crumpled heap on the floor of the elevator, curled up into himself, boiling agony roiling throughout his entire body, and a still-damp towel that smelled like Sakura's flowery shampoo crumpled up beside him, Sasuke realized two things.

One, that Sakura could _definitely_ take care of herself.

And two, that he definitely hated her for it.


	5. Slipups and Who's Hottest

Sakura dusted off her hands, looking supremely self-satisfied with how she'd handled the pervert in the elevator. _Serves him right,_ she thought smugly. She returned to Room 314, where Hinata was eating the rest of the pizza and Ino was flicking boredly through the channels on the TV. She had calmed down from her rage, and had wiped the cream from her face to prevent any repeat performances.

"You look like the c-cat who got the c-canary," Hinata remarked when Sakura swept inside and locked the door securely behind her.

"What does that even mean, Hinata?" Ino asked. "You always say these weird things. Just call it what it is. Forehead's got a big old shit-eating grin on her face. So what'd you do, Forehead?"

Sakura smirked. "Took a walk. There was a creep in the elevator and he tried to feel me up. So I dropped him."

"A creep?" Hinata asked worriedly. "Are y-you okay?"

"I'm fine. I told you, I dropped him."

Ino was roaring with laughter. "All right, Forehead!" she cried. She slapped her best friend a high-five. "I knew those kick-boxing classes we took in sophomore year were worth it!"

Hinata looked stressed. "M-Maybe we should l-l-let the b-boys find us."

"Hinata, it's fine, I took care of it, no harm done. Don't worry."

"Make sure you tell Sasuke," Ino said smugly. "You know how he worries about you being on your own."

"Good idea," Sakura returned with a smirk. She brushed her teeth quickly and flopped onto the available bed, cell phone in hand. She drafted a quick message to Sasuke, sent it, kissed her phone lightly, curled up beneath her covers, and drifted off to sleep.

Sasuke returned to his room with as much dignity as he could. He didn't know which room was the girls' now, and revealing that he knew that the girls were there would mean revealing himself to be the pussy that had gotten his ass handed to him by some girl. The idea of Sakura ever figuring out that she had taken him down so effortlessly was a nightmare. He'd have better luck sleeping off the ache in his groin, getting up nice and early, and cornering the girls on their way to checkout.

The other guys had managed to procure several 40's of cheap beer in his absence from the hotel bar, and were reclining around the room while he kicked off his sneakers.

"They're here," he informed them curtly. "Naruto. Set the alarm for 7:00 am."

"7:00?" Naruto whined. "Why so fucking early, Teme? We're on vacation!"

"So we can catch them at checkout on the way out, moron."

"What kind of vacation is this, anyway?" Shikamaru scoffed. "Chasing a bunch of silly girls across the countryside."

"Tch, the best kind!" Kiba laughed good-naturedly. "What better way to spend our free time than chasing down the three hottest girls of Konoha High?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Kiba but said nothing; Sakura, Ino, and Hinata were widely regarded as three of the most attractive girls at their old high school.

"Here, Teme, have a beer," Naruto said, tossing his surly best friend a handle. Sasuke caught it deftly, deciding that he could deal more easily with his three asshole friends if he had a good buzz going, and knocked it back before his phone vibrated.

He glanced at the screen while the others degenerated into a useless debate about which of the girls was the prettiest, and saw a message from Sakura:

"Hey, Sasuke-kun, before you go to sleep, I wanted to let you know that a real scary creep tried to feel me up tonight in the elevator at the hotel I'm staying it...and I kicked him right in his dick and I shredded it and he dropped right to the floor! Who says I can't take care of myself? Ha!"

His cheeks _burned_ at the message, and anger boiled up within him. Exaggerating little witch.

He quickly texted back: "You shredded nothing. This changes nothing. I'll catch you by morning. Go to sleep."

Annoyed with everything, especially the dull throbbing between his legs, Sasuke drank deeply from his handle and half-listened to the spirited argument taking place between Naruto, Kiba, and a bored Shikamaru.

"You have to cast your vote once," Naruto said loudly, but the authority in his voice was tempered by the slight slur brought on by the beer he was nursing. "Hyuuga Hinata, Haruno Sakura, and Yamanaka Ino. Who's hottest and why. Go."

"Easy," Kiba said arrogantly. "Sakura. Way hottest."

Sasuke drank some more, a familiar festering rage coiling within his stomach. _Asshole,_ he thought, wondering why he was friends with Kiba in the first place.

"Now you have to explain," Naruto prodded.

"There's no need to explain, just look at her! She's all sweet and cute and her body is fucking perfect. Those little skirts she wears? Jesus."

Sasuke glared impossibly hard at the ugly mauve curtain drawn across the balcony, as if willing it to burst into flame. How dare he talk about Sakura like that?

"Okay, one vote for Sakura-chan. What about you, Shikamaru? Who's hottest and why?"

Shikamaru sat on the floor, leaning against the side of the bed with a cigarette lit between his lips. He inhaled the smoke slowly, held it in his mouth, and exhaled it before shutting his eyes in exhaustion.

"Ino," he volunteered finally. "She thinks so anyway. It's too troublesome to disagree."

Naruto and Kiba laughed; even Sasuke smirked. Shikamaru may have pretended to be aloof and removed from the situation, but he was perhaps the most whipped out of all of them.

"How 'bout you, Naruto?" Kiba pressed.

Naruto placed a finger to his chin pensively, before saying, "Well...Ino's hot like a Barbie doll. You know? Blonde hair and blue eyes and all that. Classic, but nothing you haven't seen before."

"She'd kill you if she heard you say that," Shikamaru muttered.

"Sakura-chan on the other hand is gorgeous because she's different...she's got Asian features like all of us, but really exotic colorings, with her pink hair and green eyes."

"You've given this some thought," Kiba observed with his eyebrows raised. Sasuke snorted derisively. Of course the only thing that Naruto would observe with any degree of seriousness was the physical attractiveness of the fairer sex.

"But I'd have to cast my vote for Hinata-chan," Naruto said decisively. "She's pretty like a queen. All regal-looking. Definitely, Hinata-chan."

"So a three-way tie," Kiba deduced. He, Naruto, and Shikamaru all looked to Sasuke, who was attempting to drown his bad mood in cheap alcohol. "You're the tie breaker, Uchiha. Who do you think is hottest?"

Sasuke didn't reply. Instead he polished off his beer and climbed back into bed. The aching of his groin had subsided enough to allow him to sleep, and he would much rather do that than answer the question his idiot friends had posed.

Ignoring their pokes and prods to reveal what they already knew, he shut his eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	6. Close Calls and Dead Faints

The girls woke bright and early at the buzz of the alarm. Showers had been taken the night before, so the morning was spent between packing up their things again and getting ready for the two-hour trip to the beach.

"Looks like we can take this road here," Sakura said, a map open in front of her as she brushed her thick pink hair back with her free hand. "It's Saturday so hopefully there won't be a ton of traffic...even so, that's what Hinata-chan's iPod is for."

"How long then till we get to the beach?" Ino demanded. She was admiring her monokini in the full-length mirror attached to the bathroom door. It was gold, plunging, ostentatious, and Yamanaka Ino to a T. "My body demands sunlight."

"Your body will have to wait two hours, I'm afraid," Sakura retorted with an eye roll. "You almost ready, Hinata-chan?"

"Y-Yes," Hinata replied. She zipped up her suitcase and set it on the floor.

"We already know what Ino's planning on wearing to the beach, how 'bout you?" Sakura asked.

"Oh." Hinata reddened and lifted the hem of her T-shirt to reveal a conservative black one-piece bathing suit.

"Oh come on," Ino snapped. "You have massive knockers like those and you pick that BAG?"

"Quiet, Ino, she looks great."

"No, Sakura, that's my point. She has massive, collossal, wonderful boobs that I would love to have, and she covers them up like they're _indecent._ How are we ever going to find you a boyfriend if you don't put yourself out there?"

Hinata's flushed cheeks turned an impossibly dark shade of puce.

"I don't n-need a boyfriend!"

"Well, I suppose that's true." Here Ino adopted a wicked smirk as she tugged on a cover-up that covered nothing up. "Supposing we let the boys catch us..._N-N-Naruto-kun_ might have a coronary if you wear anything more revealing than that."

"Stop teasing her, Ino!" Sakura scolded. Fearing that Hinata was on the verge of a Naruto-related faint, she shoved her feet into a pair of flipflops and slipped her oversize sunglasses on her face. "Let's grab something quick to eat and get the hell out of here."

The girls checked out at the concierge's desk and loaded themselves into the purple Jeep. Sakura opened the driver's side door and paused for a brief second. Shocked green eyes took in the unmistakably familiar dark-blue Jetta parked beside their car.

"Oh my shit fucking hell," she swore colorfully. "You guys! Get in! Get in _now!_ The boys are here!"

"Here?" Ino asked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"That's _Sasuke's_ car! Shitshitshit they followed us here!"

"Oh d-dear," Hinata gasped. "What should we do?"

"What do you think?" Ino demanded. "LET'S GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE BEFORE THEY CATCH UP TO US!"

Sasuke prided himself on many things: his self-control, his subtle domination, and his command of every single situation he found himself in. He was cool, unruffled, unaffected. With a calm, authoritative disposition that came to him as naturally as his black eyes and unruly hair, he found himself the master of his surroundings.

So when a shrill, unearthly shriek sounded from the parking lot, he stirred and was on alert before the other guys had even registered a disturbance.

He got out of bed and glanced curiously out of the window to see what had made the hellish noise. The sun was blinding in his eyes for a moment, but they adjusted and he peered down to the lot three floors below him. The only people he could see were three girls, a brunette, a blonde, and...

"Sakura," he hissed like a threat. "Son of a..."

"What's up, Teme?" Naruto asked groggily from his undignified position on the floor. He had fallen asleep the previous night on his stomach, hand curled unflinchingly around his empty bottle of beer. He looked up, a trail of drool seeping from his mouth, in time to see Sasuke throw open the balcony door with nearly enough force to shatter the glass.

"Sakura!" Sasuke shouted. "Get your ass back here!"

Hearing her name, Sakura looked up from the driver's seat. Though huge sunglasses hid her green eyes from him, he knew she recognized him by the way her jaw dropped in shock. She froze for a moment, hands on the steering wheel, before Ino (the girl who had woken him up with her screeching in the first place) hissed something frantically to Sakura, seemingly jolting her to her senses. Her O-shaped mouth becoming a subtle smirk, one that someone else may have missed were it not for Sasuke's keen eyesight, before she turned the key in the ignition, slammed the purple Jeep into reverse, and gunned it out of the parking lot.

"That little _bitch,_" Sasuke seethed, darting back into the hotel room and snatching up his things. "Wake the fuck up, you assholes, they just left!"

"Huh?" Kiba snorted from the floor; he'd slept suspiciously close to Naruto that night.

Shikamaru made no indication that he had heard any of what was going on.

Naruto, it seemed, was his only ally. The hyperactive blonde sprang to his feet, hangover disappearing in the face of this newest challenge in their unique summer adventure. "What? But the alarm..."

"You never set it, dobe!" Sasuke snapped. He jammed his feet into a pair of sneakers and zipped up his backpack. "Get the fuck up, all of you, or I'll leave you here!"

"YOU HEARD HIM!" Naruto bellowed. Sasuke could have rolled his eyes, but he was momentarily grateful for the sheer volume of Naruto's voice. No one could disregard Uzumaki Naruto when he demanded to be heard. "GET UP! THE GIRLS ARE LEAVING!"

It took them three minutes to make it out to the Jetta, but at that point, the girls already had a hefty lead. Naruto was driving this time while Sasuke sat in the passenger's seat, dialing Sakura's number with a furious thumb before pressing the iPhone to his ear, ready to deliver the scolding of a lifetime.

She answered on the third ring, breathless laughter in her voice.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun! How are you today?"

"Pull that car over this instant."

"Oh, you're not being very nice...did you not sleep well last night?"

"You got lucky."

"How'd you end up at the same hotel as us?" Sakura asked interestedly. "I'd love to know...so I can prevent any repeat performances."

"As if I'd tell you my strategies," he scoffed. Which, if he was being honest with himself, merely meant that it had been a complete coincidence that he and the guys had picked the Suna Sun Deluxe and nothing more than that. Better to let Sakura believe he was a better hunter than he actually was. A healthy dose of paranoia would trip her up.

"I knew it. Just a coincidence. Well let me tell you, Uchiha Sasuke, it won't happen again!"

"Hi, Sakura!" Naruto called from the driver's seat. "Where are you guys headed today?"

"Hi, Naruto!" Sakura called back, momentarily deafening an irritated Sasuke. "Sorry, I can't tell you...your hopeless best friend would use that information against me."

But Sasuke didn't need to be told where Sakura was going: she and the other girls had given that detail away already. When he had shouted at her from the balcony, he had spotted white strings beneath the tank top Sakura was wearing that tied behind her neck; not to mention Ino's revealing mesh get-up that completely betrayed their destination that day: the beach. A heinous smirk crossed Sasuke's face.

"Hopeless, huh?" he sneered. "Why don't you just give up now, Sakura? You don't have a chance."

"Nope. I thought I told you I wouldn't make this easy on you. Better to cut your losses and go back to Konoha, don't you think?"

Sasuke's smirk widened. He was tired, hungry, hung over, annoyed, inconvenienced to be sure. But he was also having _fun._

"Not a _chance,_ Haruno," he murmured into the phone. There was silence on the other line, indicating that he had his friend's attention. "I'm gonna catch you. And when I do...

"You're gonna be sorry you ever left."

Sakura felt a thrill of butterflies explode in her stomach at Sasuke's teasing threat. A blush invaded her cheeks all but instantly, bright enough to make even Hinata proud.

"We'll see," she said softly. "Anyway, big plans for today...have a good time, boys!"

"WAIT SAKURA!" Naruto roared in her ear. "TELL HINATA HI AND THAT I MISS HER!"

"Will do!" Sakura said cheerfully before ending the call. "Hear that, Hinata-chan? Lover Boy misses you!"

But Hinata could not hear her teasing or Ino's laughter. Because she had heard Naruto's voice utter her name and promptly collapsed in the backseat in a dead faint.


	7. Awww Snap!

Still laughing, breathless with the thrill of their narrow escape, Sakura turned down the music to talk with the only conscious friend she had in the car.

"That was a close one. WAY too close."

"Tell me about it!" Ino laughed. "Did you SEE the look on Sasuke's face? I thought he was gonna jump three stories and smack you!"

"He looked super pissed...his hair was all messy, did you see? I bet they got drunk last night and Naruto made out with him or something."

Hinata, who had briefly awoken from her faint, heard that and passed out again.

"As hot as that sounds, how DO you think they found us? Did Kiba bring that mangy mutt Akamaru and have him track us or something?"

"That's ridiculous. Sasuke-kun obviously heard you screaming once I pointed out his car to you," Sakura replied dryly, veering off the highway towards the beach exit. "So much for subtlety. But I think it was just a coincidence. They got tired same as we did, and found the first convenient hotel they could afford. We'll have to be craftier from now on, if we're gonna avoid them."

"But do we really WANT to avoid them? Think how much more fun this trip would be with _boys._"

Sakura giggled. "I know. But we can't give up now, not yet anyway. They have to really work for it. Sasuke-kun doesn't sound like he's giving up anytime soon...let's see how far they're willing to go. Now enough about them...it's an hour till we hit the best beach in Suna and I can't WAIT to get some sun!"

Sasuke hung up with Sakura and couldn't shake the grin off his face.

"Naruto, head for the Suna Beach," he said flatly.

"Huh? Really? How d'you know they went there? Did Sakura tell you?"

"Hn. They were wearing bathing suits when I saw them."

"Say WHAT?" Kiba exclaimed excitedly from the backseat. He looked up, attention arrested, for details. "Bathing suits? What kind? I hope bikinis..."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes as he lit a cigarette. "Sakura will. She's got the figure and confidence for one. Hinata will have a one-piece, you know that. It's all her father will let her out in. Not to mention that insane cousin of hers. And Ino will wear whatever strip of spandex covers the least amount of skin, and in the brightest colour."

"He ain't a genius for nothing!" Naruto laughed, while Sasuke scowled at his crude assessment of Sakura from the front seat and remained silent.

"How do we know which beach?" Kiba asked.

"They've got Ino with them," replied Shikamaru. "So which beach is supposed to be the best? That's the one we'll find them at."

Sasuke consulted a travel brochure he'd swiped from the concierge's desk, listing all of Suna's hot spots and attractions. Black eyes scanned the list of places before settling on the Suna Beach, a pristine white-sand beach with photos of glamorous sunbathers wearing skimpy bathing suits and blinding smiles under its name in ornate lettering.

"Suna Beach," he reiterated. "All right."

"Suna Beach it is!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly. He turned off the highway onto the Suna Beach exit in direct pursuit of the girls.

There were few things in life Ino loved more than a day on the beach with her girlfriends.

Laying back on her towel, shades protecting her ocean-blue eyes from the sun's rays, and Sakura and Hinata lying on either side of her, she could safely say that this was exactly how she planned to spend her summer. If she had her way, they would lay like this forever. Basking in the warm summer sun, seagulls cawing overhead, the salty breeze from the water pushing her blonde bangs back and forth across her forehead. Oh yeah. She could easily do this for the rest of her life.

It felt like graduation was an entirety ago, when really, it was only yesterday morning. Ino wondered if it was normal to feel like she was already well into the next phase of her life, when her first had ended only 24 hours ago. It was both a thrilling and terrifying thought. Despite being only 18, Ino had absolutely no desire to grow older and was impatient to do so, all at the same time.

For now, though, she would prefer to freeze this perfect summer moment with her perfect best friends. She, Sakura, and Hinata had been through hell and heaven together, loose teeth and playground bullies, first kisses and dates and heartbreaks, cheerleading practices and football games, everything that defined a young girl. For now, she would hold onto the beauty of the past while looking towards an even more beautiful future, because she had everything in the world she could ever want, at that moment in time.

"Hey, what's going on?"

A confident male voice interrupted the quiet, and, irritated, Ino lifted her sunglasses to glare at who had spoken.

A group of three guys, shirtless and wearing sandals (one of whom had socks on beneath them, one of Ino's most despised male fashions) had approached them, and were grinning down at them in what was clearly meant to be an alluring manner.

"Hello," Sakura replied politely, with a strained smile. Ino glanced at her friends; Hinata looked thoroughly uncomfortable as she always did whenever they were approached by men, and Sakura appeared as always: polite, but not indulgent. And apparently she was no more impressed by the three boys than Ino was.

Ino smirked.

"Hey, boys," she cooed. Part of her was annoyed that her perfect moment had been ruined by the presence of three beachcombers who were reaching out of their league, while part of her took a cocky pride in the way she could bat her eyes and manipulate her voice to bring the simpering fools to their knees. "Nice day, huh?"

"Nice day, even _nicer_ view," the tallest boy remarked slyly, winking at Sakura. Ino sighed and rolled her eyes. "What's your names?"

"I'm Busy," Ino introduced, gesturing to herself. "This is Bored," she indicated Sakura, who was giggling, "and this is Uninterested." She pointed to a mortified-looking Hinata. "Pleased to meet you...now kindly get the hell out of our sun."

All three of the boys, at first so cocky and self-assured, each flushed in embarrassment and sulked away. Ino gave a tinkling laugh and sang, "Good-_bye,_ boys!"

NOW it was the perfect day.

Hinata giggled along with her friends, when the original mortification of that confrontation had faded.

It was still unbelievable to her, that she had friends like these.

Ino and Sakura. Both were confident, beautiful, popular. Everyone liked them. Every girl wanted to be them, and nearly all of the boys that they encountered wanted to be with them. Hinata often found herself amazed to be included among their ranks.

She knew what she was. She was Hinata: nice and reliable in her own way, a background girl at best and a terrified, self-conscious girl at worst. A stuttering, stammering mess who couldn't even tell the boy she'd loved her whole life that she loved him.

Then, Ino and Sakura had come along, sprung her from her comfort zone of solitude, and showed her how scary and fun life could be with two of the scariest, funnest girls she had ever known. Hinata had had many a near-death experience in her day, between Ino's crackpot daredevil ideas and Sakura's refusal to turn down a dare. They'd gotten her to try new things: kissing boys, partying, midnight adventures for no other reason than they were bored and it was Saturday. They'd even talked her into smoking a joint once, an experience she secretly loved but vowed never to repeat.

Hinata was still painfully shy and cripplingly awkward in social situations, but she was becoming more and more comfortable with herself and her surroundings the more time she spent in Sakura and Ino's company. They were the best friends she had ever had, the sisters she had always wanted, besides Hanabi, of course. And they understood her burning love for Uzumaki Naruto and encouraged her to pursue it at her own pace.

She sipped delicately from the bottle of wine Sakura had brought in their picnic basket, and smiled to herself.

Admittedly, this spontaneous road trip was one of their crazier ideas.

And though she'd fainted many times already and was sure to succumb to even more over the next few weeks, she would never have turned down this adventure.

Not in a million years.

The boys got out of Sasuke's cramped Jetta and Kiba took a deep breath, soaking in the excitement of the beach and this new leg of their adventure.

He missed Akamaru, his best friend and most loyal companion, but a weekslong roadtrip was no place for a dog. He'd left Akamaru at his sister Hana's doggie daycare. The mutt had been awfully sad when he realized that he would be separated from his master for awhile, but had understood when Kiba explained that he was on a quest to obtain the girl of his dreams.

As well as any dog understood anything, anyway.

Kiba scanned the beach for a shade of obvious pink. He wasn't sure when he had fallen head over ass for Haruno Sakura, but it had happened. He suspected she had crept up on him slowly, worming her way into his heart little by little until he couldn't rip her out again.

This was his last-ditch effort, though. He knew that Sakura was in love with Sasuke, as much as Sasuke was in love with her. But he also knew that Sasuke was a moron and an asshole, and if he couldn't man up and tell Sakura how he felt about her, then he didn't deserve her.

Which blazed a trail wide open for Kiba to make his move.

He smirked to himself. He figured he had a 50/50 shot at getting Sakura to realize she deserved more than the stoic last Uchiha. And if he was unsuccessful? Well, he gave it his best effort. No regrets. He and Sakura were similar in that respect.

He ran a hand through his messy brown hair and wished he had remembered to pack some damn freaking sunscreen, then realized how pathetic that sounded and resolved to brave the sun bare skin and all. He whipped off his shirt and reveled in the way the girls who were checking him and his friends out swooned.

"You see 'em anywhere?" Shikamaru asked tiredly. "Let's find them and get the hell out of here."

"This seems like it'd be your favorite thing, man," Naruto said. "Laying on the beach all day and staring at the clouds."

Kiba glanced at Shikamaru and found the lazy genius to be considering Naruto's words.

"Fair enough," he muttered, tossing a towel on the sand, laying down on it, folding his arms behind his head, and exhaling in relief. "Let me know if you find them."

Kiba rolled his eyes and returned to the hunt. A familiar scent caught in his nose, and he froze like a dog who had sniffed out a squirrel.

"Whatcha got, man?" Naruto wanted to know.

"Lavender."

"That's way creepy, dude. The whole beach and you can sniff out the girls?"

"Hinata wears lavender perfume," Kiba went on, ignoring Naruto completely. "They gotta be close."

"Like she's the only one who wears lavender perfume! Come on man there's gotta be a thousand girls on this beach, any ONE of them could be wearing the same perfume, how do you know it's her?"

Again Kiba ignored Naruto's logic and made a beeline directly for the water. Sasuke and Naruto followed him skeptically, but as neither one had a better plan, they had little option to refute him. The more people they passed, the larger the crowd of swooning girls around them grew, which quickly went from flattering to disturbing. Girls were a lot bolder these days, most of them making their intentions known.

"Hey there, handsome."

"Ooh, blondie, you're cute!"

"What's up, baby, no girlfriend?"

"Gorgeous."

"I'm DTF, you know."

"DTF?" echoed Naruto, confused, as they continued down the path Kiba's nose had provided for them. "Teme, what's that mean?"

"Down to fuck you up if you ask me one more stupid question," Sasuke snapped rudely in retort without missing a beat.

"Is that a _threat,_ you bastard?" Naruto yelled. "TEME!"

As their unnecessary argument turned violent, the girls giggled and swooned even more, apparently turned on by the display of machismo.

"You better have found them," Sasuke muttered darkly.

"Yeah, these girls are creepy!" Naruto agreed, as their fight disintegrated into nothing, as always.

"Getting closer," Kiba muttered. "I think...yo, Uchiha, your eyes are better than mine... down there, by the water. You see 'em?"

Sasuke peered in the specified direction. "I see blonde. And black."

"Pink?" Kiba asked innocently, and was unsurprised when Sasuke, the most possessive asshole he had ever met in his entire life, shot him a threatening glare.

"Hn. No."

"Still...that looks a whole lot like Hinata-chan from here," Naruto said, squinting to make out the two girls they were looking at.

"Then where's Sakura?" Sasuke demanded. "If she's not with them?"

"Let's go see if that really IS them," Kiba suggested. "Then you can beat Sakura-chan's location out of them."

"You guys wanna go swimming?" Sakura proposed.

Ino was lazily turning a page in her magazine, while Hinata dozed beside her. She raised an eyebrow.

"And get my hair wet? Sakura my love, saltwater is horrendous for hair."

"Geez, Bitch Barbie, it's a _beach,_" Sakura snapped.

"That's _Beach Barbie_ to _you,_ Forehead."

Sakura giggled, unable to stay mad at her friend for long. "Okay, then. I'll be right back. I'm dying to get my hair wet. Horrendous as it may be."

With that Sakura rose, and tossed her sunglasses onto her abandoned beach towel. She kicked off her sandals and jogged excitedly towards the water.

And she missed the commotion when, five minutes after she waded out to waist-deep seawater, their location was found, their cover thoroughly blown.

The boys had found them.


	8. Malfeasance and a New Strategy

"Where's Sakura, you harpy?"

The gruff, masculine voice froze Ino mid-oil application. She whirled around, wide-eyed, and saw none other than Uchiha Sasuke addressing her, arms folded with a thoroughly pissed-off expression on his (gorgeous) face.

She gulped. Loyal though she was to Shikamaru and Sakura, Sasuke was unnervingly attractive and she was convinced he used his disarming good looks to his advantage. Oftentimes women were so taken aback by the presence of such gorgeousness that they blurted out what he wanted to know without so much as a thought.

Ino shook her head and smirked.

Not her.

Sakura didn't want to be caught yet, and so she wouldn't let the boys catch them.

"Who?" she asked playfully.

"Where's Sakura. Don't make me ask again. This wild goose chase is over."

While Ino contemplated her next move, Naruto joined the sleeping Hinata on her towel. He leaned in exceptionally close to her face, his nose brushing lightly against hers...his mouth opened...

"HIYA HINATA-CHAN! HOW ARE YOU?"

She woke up with a scream of fright and punched him directly in the stomach, a purely reflexive move on her part; Naruto let out a wheeze of pain and rolled uselessly onto the sand beside her.

"N-Naruto-kun!"

Sasuke's first instinct was to laugh. But he was still slightly sore from his humiliating encounter with Sakura in the elevator the night before, and knew that despite their small statures and sweet natures, Sakura and Hinata were far stronger than one would assume. So he said nothing in reaction while Kiba and Ino roared with laughter.

"Are...are you okay? Oh my G-God, Naruto-kun, I'm s-so-sorry!"

"No you're...you're okay, Hinata-chan...sweet Jesus I think I'm gonna puke..."

"Puke THAT way, Narutard!" Ino yelled. "Damn it, this is why we didn't invite you smelly assholes!"

"Where's Sakura?" Sasuke demanded. He was rapidly running out of patience. This was exactly what he had been afraid of when they left yesterday; that the girls wouldn't stick together, that Sakura would go off on her own. "You idiots couldn't keep track of her for two damn days?"

"Oh, relax, Sasuke," Ino retorted impatiently. "She's fine. Went for a swim."

Sasuke immediately turned his attention to the ocean beyond them, sharp black eyes scanning for pink. He was going to go in that water, drag her out by her ridiculous pink hair, and tell her exactly what he thought of her wild goose chase idea when...

"Is there a problem here?"

They all looked around and saw five lifeguards approaching them, each with a displeased expression on their face. And they had to admit, the situation looked awful. Sasuke's stance could not have been more threatening, Hinata looked so distressed she was on the verge of collapse, and Naruto was lying in a prone position on the sand, groaning with tears leaking from his sky blue eyes down his whiskered cheeks.

Sasuke froze and made eye contact with Ino. His stomach turned to ice as an absolutely ruthless smirk crossed her face for the briefest of seconds, before it was wiped away completely, replaced with a helpless, wide-eyed expression that convinced everyone watching. Everyone but Sasuke, who swore under his breath.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Ino sprang to her feet and fanned herself in distress. "These strange boys just came right out of nowhere, right out of left field and that one climbed on top of my friend here, and..."

"Don't worry, ladies, we'll take care of these punks." The head lifeguard adopted an unfriendly expression when he regarded the three "miscreants."

"Now wait a fucking minute," Kiba began, but before he could explain what was going on, the lifeguards were on him like white on rice. He and Sasuke found themselves tackled to the ground and secured in handcuffs before they even knew what was going on.

"Think you can harass a couple of innocent girls, you perverts?" one of the lifeguards snapped, dragging a furious Sasuke to his feet.

"Hey, what the hell's going on here?"

Everyone looked up and saw Sakura, dripping wet, white bikini clinging to her curves in so appealing a way that Sasuke heard, _heard_ the lifeguards' jaws drop to the sand. She was wide-eyed and stunned, and didn't notice the way she was being ogled until Ino had the sense to toss her a towel to cover herself with. Then she blushed and quickly wrapped herself up before repeating, "What's going on?"

"These your friends, Miss?" one of the lifeguards asked, indicating Ino and Hinata.

"Y-Yes, but..."

"Do you know these punks?" He indicated a handcuffed Naruto, Kiba, and Sasuke.

Sakura blinked, then smiled. "No. No, I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't."

"Sakura you fucking..." Sasuke snarled, before he was slugged brutally in the side by the lifeguard holding him.

"That's no way to talk to a lady, you pervert! How about a day in the Suna _slammer_ to give you time to think about harassing a group of lovely young ladies? Let's go!"

They began dragging an irate, protesting band of stupid boys away; Sasuke looked over his shoulder, his eyes locking with Sakura's. She had a sweet smile on her pretty face as she waved goodbye. Fully expecting his anger, she was surprised to see a conspiratorial smirk cross his face, as though he was proud of her for her quick thinking.

"Not bad, Sakura," he called. "Not bad at all."

_Wow he looks cute,_ Sakura thought with a blush as she watched Sasuke being dragged off of the beach in handcuffs. He was wearing plaid board shorts and a black V-neck T-shirt, and sported a slight tan; even his distinctive pallor was not immune to the harsh Suna sun, it seemed. His eyes had been blazing when they locked with hers and he had clearly been impressed with her fiery retaliation. She giggled to herself. This plan was going better than she could ever have expected it to.

Now that the boys were out of the way for awhile, she frowned at the gaggle of people who had gathered around their spot to watch the commotion. "Move along," she snapped. "Haven't you ever seen a bunch of creeps get arrested before?"

The crowd dispersed instantly at her sharp demand, and she rubbed her hair down with a towel to absorb some of the seawater.

"I think that's it for today, girls," she said to her friends. "We should take advantage of this, and get a head start."

"Uh, a head start _where?_" Ino whined. "What could be better than this beach?"

"Well..."

"Isn't that what N-Naruto-kun and the others will expect?" Hinata volunteered timidly. "That we would l-leave while they're in j-jail?"

She had a point.

"Hinata's right!" Ino said excitedly. "Once they get out, they'll take off right down the highway towards Oto, where they think we'll be going next! We can lose them by _staying right where we are!_"

Sakura weighed the options in her head. It wasn't like they had any particular deadline or any particular destination in mind anyways. Their plan was to drive and explore and party until they ran out of money, then head back to Konoha and finish their summer up the old-fashioned way. What could possibly be wrong with frittering a few more days away at this tropical paradise?

"Hinata when you're right, you're right," she finally decided. She tossed her towel back on the sand and sat down again. "Toss me that tanning oil...we got a few more hours of daylight to burn. Then I'm thinking dinner at the boardwalk? Maybe dancing. There was a club a little ways back."

"Forehead you are just chock full of grand ideas today," Ino said reverently, her attention arrested at the words "dinner, dancing, club."

Her grin faded, though, when a disturbing thought came to her mind.

"Whatsamatter?" Sakura asked immediately, noticing the change in her best friend's demeanor as instantly as it had occurred. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just...why wasn't Shikamaru with them?" she wondered. "Do you think he...went back to Konoha?"

Shikamaru stubbed out the last of his cigarette and heaved a great sigh.

Finally, some part of this Godforsaken vacation that he could actually _enjoy._

If someone had asked Shikamaru how he would spend an ideal summer break, he would answer readily and completely with, "Cloud-watching." He could watch clouds from his backyard, sprawled on the grass with his arms folded behind his head. He could wile away the hours watching the shapes overhead drift by like ships on a balmy sea, and he could think about everything and nothing with no responsibilities or hang-ups. And he had been completely ready to do that for three entire months before college started.

This spontaneous road trip, however, had thrown a wrench into his plans. Entirely against his will, he was dragged from a peaceful reverie to this infuriating manhunt. It had only been two days. Did those maddening girls expect to be chased down all _summer?_

And what of when they were finally caught? What was going to happen then? The sexual tension roiling between Sasuke and Sakura would culminate in the two of them jumping into bed together and probably never coming out again. Naruto and Hinata would dance forever around their situation because Hinata was too timid to confess and Naruto was too stupid to notice how she felt. Kiba would be brokenhearted. And Shikamaru?

He sighed in annoyance. Fucking Ino never left his thoughts for too long. Even his mental Ino was as pushy and demanding as the real thing. Ino, when with him, required his full and complete attention, or the consequences were dire. She was so loud and extravagant, with a flair for the dramatic and a penchant for causing scenes and chaos wherever she went. She took a primal, vindictive delight in torturing him, disrupting his cloud-watching and quiet contemplation with grandiose ideas or just simply to hear the sound of her own hellish voice.

He lit another cigarette, and watched the gray smoke rise towards the white clouds in a spiral. Damn girl. He'd had it in his mind to marry a girl who was not too pretty and not too ugly, mild-tempered and easy-going; then Ino decided to come along and throw not only a wrench into that plan, but the whole damn toolshed. Now she had him thinking about what it would be like to marry her several years down the road, and have a wife that was _too_ pretty, _too _loud, too _everything,_ the polar opposite of what he thought he would want in the first place.

It was all so very damn troublesome.

So he relished these quiet moments on the beach, the muffled chatter of the other beachgoers and the musical choir of seagulls overhead.

And the screaming police sirens.

And the familiar shout of, "SHIKAMARU! QUIT SMOKIN THAT DAMN CIGARETTE AND COME AND BAIL US OUT OF JAIL! SHIKAMARU!"

Ah, Naruto.

Jail?

Well...he supposed there was no real hurry.


	9. Divine Retribution and the Suna Slammer

Sasuke had been booked. The works. Mugshot taken, fingerprints taken, dignity taken before he was thrown into a cell with an irritated Kiba and a hyperactive Naruto. But he couldn't find it in himself to be as properly angry with the circumstance as he knew he should be.

So far, he had been dragged inexorably across the countryside in pursuit of a girl who both charmed and infuriated him in equal measure. He had gotten his ass kicked by that girl (God-willing without her knowledge), been publicly humiliated, totally inconvenienced, forced to share a room with a lazy asshole, a loud asshole, and an asshole that kept making remarks about Sakura that made his blood boil, and now he had been arrested. And it had only been two days.

Sakura was a worthy opponent indeed.

Surely he would need to stop underestimating her intelligence. She had not been crowned valedictorian for nothing.

He sat on the stiff metal cot with his elbows on his knees, his hands dangling idly between them as he contemplated his next move. Idly, he noted that jail cells today, at least the ones in Suna, were much cleaner and brighter than they were portrayed on TV and in the movies.

He couldn't help but wonder, though, what Sakura's real motivation was for this road trip. He had seen something in her eyes, something in that silent exchange with Ino on the field yesterday, some invisible silent reason for their sudden departure.

Had she known that he would follow?

It was certainly out of character for him, to inconvenience himself so enormously for the sake of some girl.

But Sakura had never been 'some girl' to him.

He was recently coming to terms with his feelings. It was something that he had to acknowledge and accept on his own, and at his own pace. The pushing and prodding of all their friends had not helped matters, had instead made him resistant to the idea of pursuing anything with Sakura beyond friendship, at least during high school.

But as time passed, and he realized that what he felt for her was not dispersing, instead evolving into something big, new, and a little scary, he knew that he was ready to let Sakura know how he felt about her, now that he knew himself.

Sasuke sighed and ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

_I finally want to tell her and she pulls this stunt,_ he thought. _It's like she fucking knew or something._

He had to admit though, this was a lot more interesting than what he had planned. If he had had his way, he would have kissed her the day before, at graduation, and they would go about their summer as they always had, with the added benefits of a physical relationship.

But Sakura had thrown him a curveball, to say the least. She was unpredictable and exciting, maddening and thrilling all at once. Her moods changed so quickly he could hardly keep up, and she had secrets locked away behind expressive green eyes that he wanted to learn. He couldn't figure her out, despite all of his best efforts. She was the only person in the world he really _tried_ for.

She had proven to be an excellent opponent. She had thwarted him twice now. Three times, if you counted the debacle in the elevator, but Sasuke never planned on telling that to anyone; the swelling in his groin had finally gone down. He had a new respect for her quick reflexes and feisty nature, and felt slightly more confident in her independence.

Slightly.

He still resented the idea of her being without his protection. She could pull out all the big feminism guns all she wanted, but in the three seconds he had seen her on the beach, he had also seen twenty guys checking her out and the thought sent a wave of hot, jealous anger coursing through him.

A year ago, he might have felt that same way, but he would have been unable to recognize the emotions for what they were. Jealousy was something he often considered himself immune to, but when it came to Sakura, he realized he was equipped with an almost caveman-like possessiveness relegated exclusively to her.

Naruto, pacing the cell like a caged animal, was shouting something over and over and Sasuke was tuning it out, as he often did. Kiba leaned against the far wall stewing over their current predicament. Shikamaru was most likely still sleeping on the beach. So it was up to him to plan their next move.

They had been promised one phone call, but who would they call? Surely the girls were long gone by now, a complication he would have to consider farther down the road. First priority was getting out of jail, and hopefully without a record. He couldn't waste their only phone call begging help from the girls who had put them there in the first place. Not only would it be impractical, it would pummel his pride.

They were in Suna, six hours away from home and well out of Konoha's jurisdiction, so with any luck the record would not follow them home. But who could come to bail them out?

Suddenly it came to him.

"Doesn't Shikamaru's ex-girlfriend live in Suna?" he asked.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Temari?"

"Aa."

"She's Gaara's sister! We can call _Gaara!_ Oh man why didn't we think about this before? Hey! Hey, you! Prison guard lady! Give us our phone call, yeah? Hey don't walk away, you're talking to the _next President of Konoha!_"

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers. A headache was coming on and he had everyone to blame for it. Fucking fucking _Sakura._

_xoxoxo_

The girls spent the rest of the day lounging on the beach before changing quickly in the (grody, revolting) boardwalk bathrooms. Hinata wore a lavender dress with a cream-colored cardigan over top, pretty and conservative just like Hinata herself. She had set a headband in her hair and wore pretty flats on her feet.

Ino took one look at her and scoffed.

"You know we're going to a _club,_ right?" she snapped. "You look like the bloody fucking Virgin Mary!"

"Don't listen to her, Hinata," Sakura sighed. She emerged from one of the foul bathroom stalls in an outfit Ino could approve of: her pink hair hung in beachy waves down her back, the natural style looking artfully tousled and a perfect complement to the baby blue dress she was wearing. It had three-quarter-length sleeves, was extremely short and hugged her curves, and she had set it off with a pair of high strappy silver stilettos she fondly called her "Fuck Me" heels. Her makeup was heavier than normal with smoky pink tones to highlight the green in her eyes, and a pop of pink lipstick and she was ready to go. "You look great and she knows it."

"She's gorgeous," Ino sniffed, "that's not the problem. The problem is she looks _innocent._ Who is going to buy us _drinks_ if we cart around fucking Pollyanna?"

"I think it's a pretty nice complement to what you're wearing," Sakura retorted frostily. "Or rather, what _little_ you're wearing. Or rather, that piece of _satin_ masquerading as a _dress._"

Ino sniffed again and turned to admire her reflection in the stained bathroom mirror. If Sakura's look was club-appropriate, hers was strip club-appropriate, and that's the way she liked it. A silver dress with a neckline that dipped all the way to her navel, exposing the piercing there, heels even taller than Sakura's, with her long blonde hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail to show off her enviable facial structure. She wore sinful red lipstick and smoky black-and-gray eyeshadow and a better-than-you smirk.

Ino was Ino.

Hinata was blushing at the attention, but Sakura laughed it off.

"Come on, Hinata. I think we balance each other out pretty well, you know? Three different girls. Three different styles. Hear that, Ino-pig? Hinata is her _own person_ and you should let her dress her _own way._ Understand?"

"Whatever, whatever," Ino snapped dismissively. "Let's just get the hell out of this grody-ass bathroom and find a restaurant. I'm starved beyond all reckoning!"

xoxoxo

"FREEDOM!" Naruto sobbed. "SWEET FREEDOM!" He fell to his knees and kissed the sidewalk, relishing his liberation.

"Idiot we were in there two fucking hours," Kiba snorted.

A redheaded boy with his arms folded grinned slightly as they all walked out of the Suna County Jail together, clearly amused with the situation.

"Not that it wasn't good to hear from you, Naruto," said Gaara, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice, "but I had expected rather different circumstances. Now please, explain the story again? You were thrown in jail...for peeping on Sakura-san, Ino-san, and Hinata-san?"

"That's not what happened!" yelled Naruto, while Gaara's brother Kankurou and sister Temari laughed out loud.

"Don't you think you owe the saintly siblings who bailed you losers out an explanation?" Temari teased. "Like...why you came all the way out to Suna just to spy on the..."

"Thanks for bailing us out," Sasuke interjected harshly. "Now let's find Shikamaru and get going."

"Shikamaru?" Temari looked unusually flustered. She was normally tough and kept a tight rein on her emotions, but the mention of her ex-boyfriend seemed to shortcircuit her typically-harsh programming. "He's...he's with you guys? I didn't see him. Not that I care or anything. Because I don't."

Kiba rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, he's with us," Naruto replied. "Still at the beach. I guess. Lazy asshole knew we were getting locked up, didn't even get up to help us out."

"Sounds like Shikamaru," Temari all but giggled.

"So you're looking for the girls?" Gaara guessed. "Any idea where they might have gone?"

"They're hard to figure out. And I'm too hungry to wonder too much right now. I haven't had ramen since yesterday morning, I'm practically dying of starvation."

"Oh for God's sake," Kiba snapped. "Are we going after the girls or not?"

"Let's get some dinner," Gaara said firmly. "You have no idea where to look next anyway. You need a new plan. Those girls are much craftier than they look. There's a decent ramen bar around here...you're all paying, obviously. Text Shikamaru and tell him where to meet us."

"I'll do it!" Temari volunteered a bit too quickly. She fluffed her four spiky ponytails before whipping out her cell phone. Her nonchalance fooled no one.

Sasuke decided in that moment that he hated Sakura, he hated Suna, he hated Gaara, and he hated himself for going along with this madness in the first place.

Fuck. It. All.

xoxoxo

Dinner on the boardwalk was enjoyable enough. A nice Italian restaurant, a quick retouching of their makeup and hair before they left, and then a five-minute walk down the length of the boardwalk to the club seemed a perfect way to spend their second evening of this unpredictable cross-country adventure.

At least, until it began raining.

Suna's extreme temperatures called for frequent, unannounced thunderstorms. The night had been beautifully clear when they left the restaurant, chattering animatedly amongst themselves as they beelined for Club Beachcoma, and then, out of nowhere...

"SHIT!" Ino screamed. Thunder rumbled loudly overhead amongst lightning-lit black clouds, as the sky was torn open and they were all soaked instantly. "SHIT FUCK SHIT COCK SHIT!"

Sakura's dress now thoroughly, permanently, forever and always destroyed, she sighed exasperatedly and threw her purse over her head. "Let's skip the damn club and get to the car!" she yelled over the torrential downpour.

"R-Right!" agreed Hinata.

Ino and Sakura quickly ripped off their heels and the three girls took off at an awkward, scantily-clad sprint back towards where they had come.

"PLEASE tell me we remembered to put the top up on the Jeep!" Sakura shouted as they ran.

"Y-Yes, I did it when I w-went to get my change of cl-clothes!" Hinata called.

"Thank GOD for you Hinata-chan!" Ino yelled. "You beautiful, beautiful prude!"

They ran hell-for-leather to the purple Jeep, the interior dry and welcoming thanks to a well-prepared Hyuuga Hinata, and darted inside, soaking the warm seats instantly and shivering like mad.

"Let's just find a fucking hotel," Ino sighed, good mood ruined along with her sopping dress. The rain had washed her dark eye makeup down her face in unattractive streaks, and her ponytail, once so glossy and immaculate, was limp and frizzy at the roots.

They all glumly agreed and Hinata drove them around for awhile before finding a nice, cheap motel a few miles from the beach with a handful of vacancies. The concierge looked at them curiously, disapprovingly, and Sakura had to acknowledge to herself that they did look like a trio of waterlogged prostitutes, probably not great for business.

She sighed and ordered a bottle of vodka to be added to the room tab as well. If they were to be thought cheap prostitutes, might as well be known as cheap _drunk_ prostitutes.

If this was karmic retribution for what they had done to the boys that day...

Well, she couldn't say she didn't have it coming.

**note..** Hello to those of you who are still with me! A few comments. Firstly, thank you to those who took the time to review. Hopefully you are enjoying reading this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it. I gave it a T rating for language (obviously, I can't go a sentence without a well-placed 'f' word) and some implied sexuality. I didn't think this would offend anyone because every teenager I've ever known (myself included) has a gutter mouth and a filthy mind, but if anyone thinks my rating is inappropriate, please let me know. I have a lot of ideas for this story and I would love to hear how it's being received. Thank you for sticking it out this far, and have a day as beautiful as you are! xoxo Daisy


	10. Boardwalk Hookers

Naruto, Sasuke, Kiba, Gaara, Temari, and Kankurou found themselves squished tightly together beneath the protective shade of the boardwalk ramen bar when the storm hit.

"I hope lightning strikes Shikamaru laying on that goddamn beach," snapped Naruto spitefully, which drew a rare chuckle from Sasuke, who had been bad-temperedly eating his bowl of ramen as though it had said something rude to him. "I can't believe that lazy bastard let us get _arrested_ like that."

"What could I have done, besides get myself locked up right along with you?" a bored drawl sounded from behind them.

"Shikamaru you fucking piece of shit!" Naruto growled.

Shikamaru was dressed casually in a warm hoodie and a pair of shorts, and looked both dry and unaffected by the storm and the hateful glares of his friends. He stubbed out the cigarette he had been smoking and dropped onto a stool next to Temari, who was trying her best to look cool and unruffled by his presence (and failing miserably.)

For a second, Sasuke wished with all his might that Ino would find out that Shikamaru was consorting with his old flame; the punishment she would dispense would be far worse than anything Sasuke could come up with. A heinous smirk crossed his face as he contemplated texting her about this treachery, before he stopped himself. Ino's revenge would not be limited to Shikamaru only; she would consider it gross betrayal for the lot of them, and bitch at him worse than Sakura ever could.

Nope. He was keeping out of this one. Shikamaru would get his comeuppance someday. That comforting thought in mind, he finished the last of his miso ramen and pulled out his cell phone.

The sound of screaming outside didn't draw his attention in the slightest; everyone on the boardwalk was yelling and rushing to find cover. He didn't so much as look up when Kiba remarked, "Hey...those three prostitutes got caught in the rain...wonder if they give a discount?"

If he _had_ looked up, he would have been greeted with the rewarding sight of a shoeless, sopping wet Sakura sprinting down the boardwalk with Ino and Hinata on her heels in similar states of disarray.

And it _might_ have made this whole God-awful day worth it.

xoxoxo

The motel was not as nice as the Suna Sun Deluxe, but at least this one called itself by a realistic name: Boardwalk Motel. Sakura had to appreciate a place that didn't put on airs, and presented itself exactly as it was.

It was something she hoped to be able to do one day herself.

She staggered exhaustedly into the bathroom, showering the beach grime and indignity off of her, leaving her soaking wet (favorite) dress hanging on the shower curtain rod to dry. She dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a gray camisole before brushing her teeth and blowing her hair dry with the shitty motel hair dryer. She would normally have skipped this step, but running in the cold Suna rain had already left her wide open for a nasty summer cold, and it wouldn't do to go to bed with wet hair.

"Well tonight sucked a giant hairy dick, didn't it," Ino sniffed from the bed. Hinata was in a similar boat, too sulky to even be as offended by Ino's coarse language as she might normally have been. Both of them had changed into dry clothes and wiped their faces clean of makeup, but seemed too depressed to properly shower like Sakura had. Instead, the bottle of vodka had already been opened and was half-full when Sakura emerged from the bathroom, hair dry and face clean. She grabbed the neck of it immediately and took a long, slow swig, savoring the burn of the harsh, unapologetic alcohol as it blazed a warm trail down her throat.

"I hate to say it," she said, after ten minutes of sulky silence and vodka hogging, and a smile crossed her face, "but I really, really think we deserve what happened to us just now."

Ino paused and then giggled.

"You know what, Forehead, you're right. We totally deserved that. And we can't even get mad. So what, we got our dresses wet and didn't get to go to a club tonight. We got the boys arrested and sent to _jail._ We _absolutely_ had that coming."

Hinata giggled, too, and hiccupped.

"Right," Sakura decided firmly. "So. No more angsting about it, because that was just karma kicking our ass for being such ruthless bitches to the boys...no matter how much they deserved it. What _I_ want to know..." And here, a vicious smirk tilted her cherry pink lips as she stared down a suddenly-anxious Hinata. "...is how you felt waking up to _Naruto-kun_ kneeling over you!"

"I-Ino!" Hinata wailed; Sakura had not witnessed the event, but Ino must have clued her in.

"Oh come on, Hinata, what was I supposed to do, _not_ tell her?" Ino looked supremely unaffected by Hinata's distress. "It was probably the cutest thing I've ever seen in my whole entire life. Including the part where you decked him in the stomach."

Sakura was in hysterics as she pictured the event. Hinata was growing redder and redder.

"It was h-humiliating," she whispered. "M-Mortifying. He must h-hate me!"

"If you think _that,_" Sakura scoffed, "you obviously don't know Naruto. He was probably impressed more than anything. Those boys are fucking idiots, you know. They respect things like power and control, even in us girls."

"Is that why Sasuke was grinning at you when they arrested him?" Ino wondered.

Sakura chuckled as she recalled the look on Sasuke's face (amused, annoyed, even slightly admiring) when the lifeguards dragged him and the others off the beach in handcuffs. "I believe so...even though we got him in so much trouble, he was impressed with us. Of course, it only means that his retaliation is going to be a _nightmare..._"

"I d-didn't think about th-th-that," Hinata said nervously. "Oh, what d-do you think they're g-gonna do to get us b-back?"

"Nothing, if they don't catch us," Ino said firmly, and Sakura was inclined to agree.

"This means we just upped the ante for ourselves," she added. "It's more important than ever that we avoid them, at least until they get over this."

"Get over this? Are we even sure they got out of jail?" Ino definitely had a point there. Sakura sighed and pulled out her iPhone.

"If they're still locked up, we have to bail them out," she said reluctantly. "Let me see."

She texted Sasuke and sighed again, before draining the last of the vodka. "Hinata, we better order another bottle. I have a feeling we're gonna need it."

xoxoxo

Just as Sasuke was drafting a nasty text to Sakura, he received a message from her, interrupting him before he sent it.

"Are you out yet?"

He paused, then smirked. She was about to walk right into a trap, and the pink-haired monster deserved it. _I'll outsmart you yet, Sakura._

"Oi," he said to the counter at large. Everyone looked up from their conversations/ arguments to hear what he had to say. "Sakura just texted me. She wants to know if we're out of jail."

"Tell her 'yes', no thanks to her!" Naruto said sourly.

Sasuke grinned and shook his head. "Nope. Better idea."

"What do you got, Uchiha?" Kiba wondered.

Sasuke pressed *67 to conceal his number on Sakura's Caller ID, then dialed her number. "Just watch," he said smugly to the others, who fell silent to listen in.

The phone rang twice before Sakura answered, her voice slurred and anxious all at once. "Hello?"

"Sakura it's Sasuke."

"Sasuke-kun? Where are you calling from?"

Her words ran slightly together, and he cursed in his head. She was drinking? Stupid, stupid girl.

"Jail," he said coldly, as though it were obvious. "After the stunt you pulled. We've been here all day!"

"You're still there?" Sakura asked, sounding shocked. "It's been hours!"

"Yeah, it has been. They won't let us out because no one will come to post our goddamn bail!"

"Jesus, Sasuke-kun, I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd be stuck there this long...I'll come get you."

"Were you drinking?" he demanded. Though she offered to come to the jail (walking right into his trap, the unsuspecting little tramp) to pick him up, he wouldn't let her drive if she had been drinking. No contest was worth that.

"Yes, but I'm not gonna drive...once the rain clears up, I'll walk down."

"Walk? You're still in Suna?"

"Shit shit shit."

Sasuke smirked.

"Didn't mean to give that away, did you."

"What does it matter to you? I'm your bail, aren't I? If I don't come, you're stuck there. Long enough for us to make a clean getaway."

"Hn. Would you really do that to us? Leave us here overnight?"

Sakura, he could tell, was wrestling between her compassion and her competitiveness. Compassion, it seemed, was winning; she would walk down to the jail, prepared to bail them out, only to find that they had already gotten out and were waiting for her. She would be easy prey then, and this wild goose chase would be over.

Just when he knew she was about to agree to come get them, Naruto blew the whole plan to hell. He polished off his third bowl of ramen and jubilantly cried, "Another pork ramen, extra seasoning, please!"

He closed his eyes in exasperation.

"Ramen, huh?" Sakura was drunk, but still coherent enough to deduce what was going on. "I see. Prison food must be a hell of a lot nicer than they make it out to be on TV, if they're catering to Naruto's ridiculous taste."

"So you figured it out. I still know you're in walking distance. And if you're drinking, you can't drive."

"You'll still have to find us," Sakura sang to goad him. "And it's a monsoon out there, Sasuke-kun. Good luck searching, you ex-con."

Sasuke smirked.

"But I have to tell you," she added, and her tone changed from teasing to remorseful. "I'm sorry we got you arrested at all...I mean, not necessarily sorry because it was fucking hilarious, but just so you know, we totally got what was coming to us tonight."

"Hn. How's that."

"We all got fierce-looking as shit to go down to that club on the boardwalk, Beachcoma? And then the rain hit and destroyed us completely. Like thrashed our skank asses."

"Hn. You think we're even then? Not even close."

"Oh, come on, Sasuke-kun," whined Sakura. "Don't be so bitter. You have to admit, it was a really good prank!"

"It was," he acknowledged. "And I'm gonna get you back, and twice as hard."

"Tch. You'll have to catch me first. And I warn you right now: I'm slippery like an eel and I kick ass, too and I don't even bother to take names, you understand?"

"You're drunk. Go to bed."

"_You're_ drunk," she retaliated dumbly.

"See you in the morning," he taunted before hanging up on her. He stood up from the counter and announced, "They're close by at a hotel somewhere, and they're drunk. Let's find them now while they're stuck."


	11. Then and Now and Ino's Scheme

_"Oto Academy?"_

_The face Naruto wore was priceless; Sasuke hadn't seen it since Naruto had tried rum for the first time at a party. Shock and revulsion in equal measure._

_"Hn."_

_"What do you mean, you're transferring to Oto Academy? Are you _high?_"_

_"Tch. Idiot." Sasuke removed his baseball cap and set it on the hook in his locker before unbuttoning his jersey and taking that off as well._

_"Sasuke what the hell are you talking about? Oto Academy's insane! Everyone there is a complete nutcase! Or did you forget about those kids who jumped Sakura-chan on her way home from school?"_

_Sasuke flinched only slightly at the reminder but maintained a calm demeanor. He tossed his jersey into his locker and began untying his cleats without responding to his best friend. No he hadn't forgotten, but..._

_"'Cuz I didn't forget, you bastard! That Zaku kid coulda killed her tryna mug her! What the HELL is in Oto that you'd want to leave KONOHA?"_

_"Opportunity." At thirteen, Sasuke was far more serious than most children his age. He kicked off his cleats and slipped his gray Chuck Taylors on his feet. "They offered me a scholarship."_

_"So what? They're fucking nuts over there, Sasuke, what about all of us, huh? What about me, and Saku-"_

_"What about it?" Sasuke snapped. "I can't pass a chance like this up, dobe."_

_"It's run by that psychopath Orochimaru!"_

_"Orochimaru can get me into whatever college I want."_

_"This is insane, Sasuke!"_

_Naruto smashed his fist against the lockers hard enough to dent the metal. Sasuke got the impression that he had only struck the lockers because Sasuke himself was out of reach. His normally happy blue eyes were flaming, tinged almost red with anger._

_"You can't just LEAVE!" he snarled. "What about us? I'm your best friend, you bastard! We've been through everything together! And the rest of the guys? Shikamaru and Kiba and Chouji and everyone? And Sakura-chan! What about her? What's she gonna say?"_

_"I'm not going to tell her."_

_Sasuke's voice was calm and unaffected as he gathered up his baseball equipment. Naruto stood with his mouth agape at his best friend's reply._

_"You've gotta be fucking..."_

_"Tch. Dobe."_

_And like he had said nothing earth-shattering, Sasuke turned his back on his best friend, stepped out of the locker room, and disappeared into the rain._

_It was the last time Naruto would see him for two years._

Naruto listened halfheartedly to Sasuke's conversation with Sakura, unable to shake the memory of his confrontation with Sasuke in the locker room all those years ago. There had been such coldness in his black eyes then, such detachment. He had chosen to sever the bonds he'd created with his friends from Konoha in favor of, as he had put it, opportunity in Otogakure. It had nearly killed Naruto to watch his best friend walk away from him that awful rainy day.

Five years later, Sasuke was as sulky and arrogant, as quiet and aloof as he had always been as a child, but there was none of the coldness Naruto had witnessed back then. His friendship with Sasuke was stronger than ever before now, and despite his chronic bad attitude, Naruto could safely say that Uchiha Sasuke was happy.

He inhaled another healthy slurp of ramen and smiled to himself. After Sasuke's sudden departure in junior high, he had promised himself and Sakura-chan to drag the bastard kicking and screaming back to the awesome high school they all loved. And he had done it, and he was now reaping the fruits of his labors:

A kickass cross-country road trip as the bastard's wingman, in pursuit of the girl Naruto knew Sasuke loved.

All that work had been worth it.

When Sasuke hung up with Sakura, there was a satisfied smirk playing about his lips as he revealed this new information to everyone gathered around the ramen stand.

"They've got more sense than to drive while inebriated," Gaara surmised over his long, interlaced fingers. "So it is only a matter of isolating the hotel they are staying at. I can prepare you a list of probable locations within walking distance."

Naruto blinked stupidly at his redheaded friend and then a wide grin split his face.

"Hey, thanks, Gaara!" he exclaimed. "Wow, Teme, we shoulda just called Gaara up first thing, and saved ourselves a whole lot of trouble!"

Sasuke looked irritated at the derogatory implications of Naruto's statement against his tracking skills, but let it go.

Gaara was consulting his Blackberry. He and his siblings were the children of a high-ranking government official in Suna, and had almost unlimited access to just about anything they wanted. It was the girls' unfortunate mistake to strand themselves in an area he knew like the back of his hand; smoking them out of their drunken hole would be next to nothing.

After a few seconds, Gaara provided the names of seven hotels within a two-mile radius, the farthest they surmised Sakura would have been willing to walk to collect the boys from jail. Two were eliminated immediately as too pricey for the girls to have been able to afford, and a third was eliminated as being too grungy for the girls to have even considered.

That left four possibilities.

"I know what to do!" Naruto piped up. He polished off the last of his ramen and faced the others, each more doubtful than the last at the idea of Naruto taking the lead on this mission. "We'll split up...I'll take the motel at the other end of the boardwalk, near that other ramen stand, the one with the dragon on the sign. You guys can each take the other ones. One of us is bound to find them, dattebayo!"

Sasuke's eyes widened. Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari blinked slowly in surprise while Kiba's jaw dropped to the floor.

"That was...that was smart, Naruto," Shikamaru said, as though he couldn't believe the words were coming out of his mouth.

Naruto grinned and jumped to his feet.

"It's been known to happen, you know," he jeered. "Now let's get going...the rain's clearing up and I really _really_ want to check out that other ramen stand before they close!"

xoxoxo

Sakura was giggling as she hung up with Sasuke.

"Geez, man, I think I fucked up," she slurred.

"Fucked up how, gorgeous?" Ino asked, amused; Sakura drank as often as any other teenage girl but had absolutely no alchol tolerance. The smallest amounts got her drunk and sleepy, and it looked like now was no different.

"I told Sasuke-kun I was drinking," she replied simply. "We can't drive now. We're sitting ducks basically."

"So they're out of jail?" Hinata asked. Tipsy herself, it seemed that she was finally uninhibited enough to lose the stutter in her voice.

"Mhmm. At a ramen stand. I heard Naruto yelling in the background."

"Ramen stand?" Ino jumped to her feet and ran over to the window. She peeled back the curtain and peered out at the rain. "Geez, which one? Moon Dragon Ramen? That one is really close by! Or the other one, near the club at the other end of the boardwalk?"

"Couldn't tell," sang Sakura with another giggle as she reached for the vodka again.

"That's enough!" Ino snapped, snatching it away before her best friend could have some more. She had always been able to hold her alcohol better than the others, and it was now up to her to make sure that their location went undiscovered. "Now we need to protect ourselves, if those idiots have Shikamaru on their side, they're gonna smoke us out like it's nothing!"

"So how do we throw them off?" Hinata asked.

"I want some more vodka, you rancid bitch," Sakura whined from the floor.

"Haruno Sakura I'm not gonna tell you this twice," snarled Ino with her hands on her hips. "We are in the middle of a crisis right here...the boys are _this close_ to finding us and frankly, I refuse to lose this early in the game. You started this and now I'm gonna help you finish it. Now get your hot little ass into bed and _go to sleep._ I need you good and sober in a few hours, understand?"

Sakura and Ino fought like cats most of the time, loved one another like sisters, and trusted each other like the best friends they always had been. But sometimes, one of them needed looking after. Sometimes after a night of hard partying, Ino needed a caring friend to hold her messy platinum blonde hair back while she vomited her guts out into a grody public toilet.

And sometimes, Sakura needed someone with a firm hand to kick her drunk ass into bed and make sure she stayed there.

"Okay, Ino," she mumbled submissively before crawling into one of the beds. She was asleep before she even slipped beneath the covers.

Satisfied that the drunkest among them was no longer a danger to herself or their scheme, Ino took a great gulp of water from a SmartWater and faced Hinata.

"So how drunk are you, Hina-chan?" she asked.

"Buzzed," Hinata replied. "I couldn't drive right now but I feel pretty okay still."

"Not ideal but it'll have to do, I'm the same way. Okay, now any military strategist would tell you to isolate your weakest, most easily-dispatched opponent and go right for the jugular, right?"

"Right." Hinata listened with rapt attention. Ino had a way of commanding a room, and in another life might have made an excellent military general. She was both devious and controlling enough to lead armies to conquest; Hinata was somewhat relieved that Ino chose instead to use her skills for the comparatively mundane efforts of wrangling up cute boys to hook up with.

Ino smirked. "Good. Now you're gonna call Naruto."

"Me?" Hinata blushed; not even the vodka burning confidence into her bloodstream could fend off her reaction to the mention of her not-so-secret crush's name. "Why me?"

"If I call him, they'll figure out right away that we're up to shit. Sakura's out of commission obviously. Such a pretty, pretty girl...and so thoroughly unable to hold her alcohol. Ugh. It's like I've taught her nothing all these years. BUT I DIGRESS. Back to you calling dear sweet Naruto-kun and laying a false trail!"

Hinata gulped. She wished she had had more of that vodka; she had a feeling that whatever Ino had in mind for her, she could have used something extra strong.

xoxoxo

**note..** Hello there :) I just wanted to say thank you to those of you who took the time to review my story. You've given great feedback and I really appreciate everyone who is sticking by me, a newcomer to the Naruto fanfiction world, and my stories thus far. My goal for this was to present an AU story with parallel themes to the anime. For example, I replaced Sasuke's defection from Konoha to Orochimaru with a transfer to an Oto school, etc. If it gets at all confusing, please let me know. We've got a long way to go, this story and I! Thank you all so much and have a wonderful day! xoxo Daisy Jane.


	12. Audacity and the Devil's Deal

They had all dispersed, each in pursuit of a different hotel. Sasuke had taken off for the fanciest one within three teenage girls' budgets, a few blocks away from the boardwalk. Naruto had made a beeline straight for the motel nearest the Moon Dragon Ramen Stand. Kiba had split for a smallish bed and breakfast just off the beach.

And Shikamaru found himself saddled not only with the task of investigating the biggest hotel the farthest distance from where they had eaten dinner, but with a loud blonde female companion as well.

One who happened to be his ex-girlfriend.

He didn't know what he had done in a prior life to deserve this bad luck.

He and Temari had had, of all things, a whirlwind romance. It was precisely the kind of thing Shikamaru had decided, from an early age, to avoid. It was wild and emotional, all sex and feelings without any of the comforts of an easy relationship.

It was like dating a bolder, rougher, distorted mirror version of Ino, from a different country. Never a moment's peace, even with the distance that ended up destroying their romance as quickly as it had started.

Shikamaru had not wanted to see Temari again, at least not anytime soon. Their relationship, if it could be called that, had ended on bitter terms; he hadn't invested enough of himself emotionally to be too devastated by their breakup, but Temari was a different story.

And it made this particular rendezvous on their road trip distinctly more troublesome than any other.

"Well I gotta admit, I'm shocked," Temari confessed as they headed towards the Sandy Beach Resort and Spa. She carried an umbrella while he merely turned his hood up against the dwindling rain. "THE Nara Shikamaru, on a cross-country adventure in pursuit of his lady love? I never thought I'd see the day."

There was no mistaking the bitterness in her voice, and Shikamaru sighed.

"It's not like that."

Vaguely he was wondering why he had to downplay Ino's significance to a girl with whom he had no connection anymore, but decided it was too much hassle to actually articulate with words.

Temari knew him well enough, though, to see straight through him.

"Well I actually saw that Uchiha kid smile a few times today, so maybe people really DO change." She regarded him through sly, narrowed eyes. "I'd've thought the second you graduated high school, you'd jump right into bed and sleep through college. Goes to show you can't judge a book by its cover...or its past."

He sighed.

"What are you getting at, Temari?"

"I think you know what I'm getting at."

She had stopped walking, and he did the same, turning to face her. There was some unplaceable emotion blazing in her fey eyes. The four ponytails she wore (an odd style, that she surprisingly managed to pull off) were frizzing slightly from the moisture in the air, and Shikamaru remembered fiercely how it had felt those two wild summers ago, running his hands through tangled dirty blonde locks while his heart thrummed a foreign cadence in his chest...

"I didn't forget, you know," she said hotly. "I didn't forget the way it felt, when we were together."

He said nothing in response. Ino's loud voice had never seemed farther away in that moment.

Did he owe Ino anything? If he was looking at it logically, then no. He had promised her nothing, ask for nothing from her in return. They were friends. They did not need to be anything more than that. Regardless of what everyone (including Ino) expected from him, he did not owe Ino his allegiance, or his faithfulness.

"You're thinking about her," Temari snapped, looking angry and defeated all at once. "Just like you were two years ago. Well, whatever, Shikamaru. To hell with you and to hell with her! She never made you feel the way I made you feel. Did she?"

Again he was silent. Would his voice one day disappear from a lack of use? All the brains in the world, and the inability (refusal) to articulate what was actually on his mind. He focused on the rain that had seeped through the cotton hood of his sweatshirt and was soaking into the dark ponytail on top of his head.

"I didn't think so," Temari whispered. Her eyes were all-knowing as they traced Shikamaru's face, as if committing the image to memory, comparing it to the one from their past. "I didn't forget about you...and regardless of what you tell yourself, you didn't forget about me either."

Had she always been this close? His gaze drifted lazily from her eyes to her lips and back again. A few centimeters and they'd be...

Just as abruptly as the moment had begun, it ended.

The vibration of Shikamaru's cell phone jolted them both back to reality. Temari's open eyes iced over, steely and unreadable, as he pulled it out to answer a call from Kiba.

"Hey, man, they're not at this one, I'm not seeing the Jeep. Sasuke came up dry at that big hotel a few blocks down. How's your luck?"

Shikamaru sighed deeply. He hadn't even reached his destination yet, having been so distracted by this passive-aggressive confrontation with Sabaku Temari. And now a thousand thoughts raced through his head, a thousand questions he never thought he'd have to answer flashing before his eyes. In the chaos these few minutes with his ex-girlfriend had inspired within him, he had forgotten entirely about his mission.

And maybe the ease with which he had forgotten his pursuit answered all of those questions at once.

With a sideways glance at Temari, he mumbled back into the phone, "As for luck, I've got none. I'll keep looking."

He knew he should have just stayed home.

Ino, for all her bravado and cheerfulness, was a raging mass of insecurity.

That was how she was so certain of her love for Shikamaru.

No other boy had ever made her doubt herself so completely.

It was what she loathed him for, above all else. He had stolen her jealously-guarded heart, thereby depriving her of the fairy tale romance she had always envisioned for herself, because his version of Prince Charming was laughable and he couldn't bring himself to change, not even for her. He was the very last thing she had expected to love, an embodiment as he was of everything she resented: laziness, immobility, detachment. He was so utterly _boring,_ and yet he commanded her flighty heart.

It was thoroughly unfair, but Ino had resolved to make the best of it. She flirted like mad and stirred his interest any way she could; she caused drama and scenes and chaos to be sure she was on his mind. Before realizing her feelings for the lazy asshole she had grown up with so closely, she would never have second-guessed herself...but now?

Ino had not been jealous when Shikamaru was dating Temari, and that was the truth. If she had had feelings for him back then, she was unaware of them, and therefore felt no possessiveness over him. Seeing Temari's frequent visits to Konoha "on business" had been cause for teasing, not cause for alarm.

But now they were in Suna, Temari's territory.

And earlier on the beach, the boys had shown up looking for answers...but Shikamaru wasn't with them.

A typically confident girl like Yamanaka Ino promptly lost all of her confidence. She was no fool. Jealousy and suspicion flowered within her like a cancer. Feelings that she just didn't have cause to be familiar with, all of it exploded forth inside of her. The vodka wasn't helping anything.

Realizing no progress could be made dwelling on the probability of Shikamaru's fraternity with the blonde Sabaku sister, Ino channeled her sudden anxiety into preparation. The girls' next move was entirely on her shoulders, given Hinata's resistance to avoiding Naruto and Sakura's drunken stupor, and it was a distraction she could use.

_Because let me find out that I'm leading him by the nose around the world,_ she thought furiously, _and that skank's been leading him by his di-_

"What should I say to N-Naruto?" Hinata asked nervously. Ino looked up at her and realized that her stammer was coming back, a sure sign that the alcohol was wearing off. That wasn't good. If Hinata sobered up too quickly, she wouldn't have the fortitude to go through with calling the love of her life.

"Anything," Ino said flatly. "You gotta keep him talking. He's bound to leak something or other to you about where they are and what you're up to, he's not the brightest crayon in the shed."

Hinata blinked but said nothing in response.

"Don't worry about anything, Hinata-chan. He's crazy for you. You just need to be confident in yourself. What's not to be secure about? You're beautiful and smart and sweet and dependable. He'd be crazy not to trip over his own feet to be with you!"

As she said the words, meant to comfort Hinata, she realized how much she wanted to hear them herself, and how very hypocritical she was. Even so, she smiled winningly enough to convince Hinata that nothing was wrong. Vaguely, she was glad that Sakura was passed out behind her; she might have been able to hide her feelings from Hinata, but Sakura, her sister in everything but blood, would have seen through her instantly.

"O-Okay," Hinata said anxiously as she dialed Naruto's number. With small, shaking hands she raised the phone to hear ear and waited.

Three rings later, Naruto answered. Loudly, and with his mouth full of food. As per usual: Naruto was Naruto.

"HIYA HINATA-CHAN!"

Hinata held the phone away from her ear, wincing at the volume. Cheeks dusting pink as they always did when she spoke with her crush, she replied, "H-Hello Naruto. How are you t-tonight?"

"I'm great!" Naruto exclaimed. He swallowed loudly and called to someone else, "Hey, another bowl, will ya? Uh, miso flavored! You're the best, man, dattebayo! Uh, sorry, Hinata-chan, they've got the _best_ ramen here!"

"R-Really?" Hinata asked, while Ino nodded excitedly in encouragement. "What k-kind of ramen?"

"Miso, my favorite flavor! It's awesome, even better than the five bowls I had at Boardwalk Ramen!"

"That's great N-Naruto." Ino seized the complimentary pad of paper and pen from the nightstand dividing her bed from Sakura's, and scribbled something frantically for Hinata. She shoved the pad at her and Hinata read:

"This means he's at Moon Dragon Ramen right now!"

Hinata nodded quickly at Ino and added into the phone, "What kinds d-does everyone else h-have?"

Naruto answered immediately, without any suspicion whatsoever; how could there be any ulterior motive when _ramen_ was involved? "No one's here with me, but back at Boardwalk Ramen, Teme had chicken flavor with a bunch of nastyass tomatoes, Kiba had three bowls of pork ramen, that smelled awesome, Shikamaru and Temari each had a bowl of shrimp-flavor..."

Ino froze at that. Hinata didn't notice.

"But it's just me, right now, see, because I wanted to get to the Moon Dragon stand before they close, dattebayo. Cuz I was on my way to..."

He cut off.

Then started laughing.

"Oh, man, Teme's gonna kick my _ass!_" he cried. "Hinata-chan you tricked me!"

Hinata giggled on the other line. "S-Sorry, Naruto...I had no ch-choice."

"Never thought you'd have it in you! Did Ino put you up to it?"

"S-Sort of...we were worried y-y-you and the others w-would be at M-Moon Dragon since it's s-so close to us..."

Ino smacked her forehead, and Hinata's jaw dropped at her own stupidity.

"I seeeeeee," Naruto sang. "So you guys are at the Boardwalk Motel? That's the one that I'm assigned to."

"You all split u-up?"

"Yeah. Tryna find out where you all went. But I'll tell ya what: I'm having wayyy too much fun on this trip to want to end it now, so I'll give you guys a head start."

"You...you will?"

"Yup. I won't tell Teme and the others till tomorrow. Noon."

Ino snatched the phone away from Hinata. "How do we know it's not a trick?" she demanded. "How do we know we can trust you? You're probably gonna ambush us as soon as we hang up the phone!"

Naruto laughed.

"Oh come on, Ino, don't get your thong in a twist. I just told you. I'm excited to find you guys, but it won't be as fun if it's only cuz you're drunk and can't go anywhere. Besides, if we found you now, what would we do for the rest of the summer?"

"Then swear," Ino said firmly.

"I swear to God. I _pinky_ swear."

Hinata looked convinced. No one broke a pinky swear unless they wanted a one-way ticket straight to hell. But Ino's eyes were narrowed in suspicion.

"Swear on ramen."

"Which flavor?"

"_All of them,_" Ino hissed.

Naruto laughed some more.

"I swear on every flavor of ramen that I won't tell the others where you're at. Not until noon tomorrow. You guys should be plenty sober, right? But in exchange, when we call you tomorrow, you need to give us a hint to let us know where to go. Deal?"

Ino grinned. Naruto would never take a swear on ramen lightly.

"All right, Narutard," she said teasingly. "You have a deal. I trust you."

_Now if only I could say the same thing for Shikamaru,_ she thought, with no small amount of dread.


	13. Too Drunk for Comfort

The first thing Sakura felt when she opened her eyes the next morning was anger that she was awake in the first place.

Her stomach was doing flipflops while her head throbbed, relic of an agonizing hangover. All of this, because she had gotten flat-drunk on an empty stomach and passed out on the bed, without so much as a sip of water to dilute the alcohol in her system, or a crust of bread to absorb it. The aspiring surgeon in her chastised her for her foolishness, while the teenage party girl in her chastised her for not being able to hold as much liquor as everyone else.

Irritated with her circumstances, she forced herself into a hot shower while the other girls slept. This was not the first time her drinking had gotten her into trouble.

_"I think you've had enough." Sasuke's tone managed to be bored, detached, and disdainful all at once; Sakura, even in her total inebriation, found this fascinating from a person who seemed to have one default emotion: emotionless._

_"I think I've had enough of your attitude," she countered waspishly, and she drained the shot in her hand just to spite him. Tequila blazed a scorching trail down her throat, and although the room was starting to spin a tad, the warmth in her stomach from the liquor anchored her to herself._

_It was a good party by anyone's standards. Kiba's house was situated closer to the borders of Konoha, and what with his family's dog-breeding business, he had plenty of space to spare. As it was, the party (which included the popular kids from Konoha High School and basically anyone else who heard it was happening) had branched out from the main house to the barn, where Sakura found herself now, plastered in front of a disapproving Sasuke._

_Sasuke's eyes narrowed at her cattiness, letting her know exactly what he thought of her rebelliousness with nothing more than a glance._

_Sakura _fumed.

_"I don't know who you think you are, bossing me around and making condescending remarks like that!" Inwardly, she was proud that she had managed to pull off the pronunciation of multisyllable words because she was, in a word, blitzed. "I'll do what I want, I don't need your permission!"_

_She reached for a half-drunk bottle of whiskey sitting on a bale of hay behind Sasuke, but he grabbed it first. To her surprise, he took a liberal gulp himself, his eyes never leaving hers, before he pressed it into her fumbling hands._

_"You're drinking a lot lately," he remarked as he watched her take a sip and exhale sharply through her nose._

_"I've been stressed lately." Sakura looked offended at what he was saying. Was he implying that she had a drinking problem? "I don't drink anymore than anyone else does. Only at parties and only on the weekends. You're making it sound like I'm some sloppy alcoholic."_

_Tears of anger sprang to her eyes. Was that what he thought of her? One of his closest friends, and he thought her a sloppy drunk?_

_She scoffed and turned to leave him to his judgmental thoughts, but he caught her by the elbow, his grip surprisingly tight for someone who despised physical contact so much. He tugged her back around to face him, pulling the whiskey bottle out of her hands._

_"The more you drink," he said coolly, "the more irrationally pissed you get at me."_

_"I'll show you 'irrational', you overbearing piece of-"_

_"Hey there, Sakura-chan," a slick voice interjected from behind. Sakura glanced behind her, irritated that someone interrupted what was sure to be an entertaining slur of jumbled swear words and obscenities, to find Inuzuka Kiba approaching her with a smile. She did not notice the darkening of Sasuke's gaze, and smiled back at Kiba._

_"Hi!" she said brightly. "Great party, Kiba!"_

_"Glad you could make it," he replied, amused at her apparent drunkenness and the surliness of the boy she had been yelling at. "You look great, Sakura-chan."_

_He indicated the cream-colored dress she was wearing, with her pink hair curled and bouncing by her shoulders._

_"Thanks! You're not half-bad yourself."_

_Sasuke was thoroughly agitated at this point, but Sakura was too drunk to notice or care._

_Kiba grinned roguishly, his canines bared as he leaned in closer to Sakura than she might normally have permitted, if she was sober._

_"Matter of fact, you look a little too good to be over here by yourself." Sasuke seethed. Did they not see him? "Why don't you and I head out back for awhile?"_

_"She's going home," Sasuke interjected decisively, as Sakura opened her mouth to answer. Immediately her eyes sparkled with rage, but he couldn't care less. His strong hand again found purchase on her elbow, his fingers long enough to wrap entirely around her arm. His grip was vice-like and try as she might to shake him off, he held fast. "Come on, Sakura."_

_Kiba stared after them, a bit put out and a bit self-satisfied at his ability to ruffle the stoic Uchiha so easily._

_Sakura's anger had rendered her incoherent, or maybe it was the booze, but Sasuke managed to tune out her unintelligible obscenities as he dragged her out of the barn, navigating through the crowd of high school kids even drunker than she was._

_"You let me GO, you..."_

_"Quiet," he snapped. Sakura was surprised to see that he looked upset about something; usually, he masked his emotions beneath disdainful looks and dry remarks, so it was unusual to see naked anger on his face._

_Too drunk to realize she was treading dangerous waters, she pressed, "I don't fucking understand you, Sasuke-kun! You hate parties in the first place, I don't even know why you came here, it's like you only show up to boss me around!"_

_"If you want me to apologize for cock-blocking, don't hold your breath!" he spat._

_Sakura gasped as though he'd slapped her right across the face. They both came to a halt at the gates to the Inuzuka property. They were alone now beneath the stars, and Sakura ignored the slight chill in the night air in favor of the coldness in Sasuke's eyes._

_"Is that what you think about me?" she asked softly._

_Sasuke had the decency to look uncomfortable, the closest he would get to remorseful as he released Sakura, shoving his hands in his pockets. The wind ruffled through his dark black hair, heavy bangs skittering across his forehead, and he mused to himself that Sakura, in her thin little dress, had to be freezing._

_"Answer me," Sakura insisted._

_"If you're too blind to see that mutt's been salivating after you for years, then it's not my problem." Sasuke turned away from her, finding it difficult to look her in the eye all of a sudden. "Your choices are your own, but not when you're drunk."_

_Her eyes softened almost instantly._

_"So you were looking out for me, then."_

_He didn't answer. He didn't need to._

_"Is that why you came here tonight? To look out for me?"_

_Silence, but Sakura had always been uncannily good at interpreting his silence, and she smiled softly, sweetly up at him, sincerity shining in her eyes._

_"That's sweet of you, Sasuke-kun. But for the record...I wouldn't have done anything with Kiba. Except maybe shut him down."_

_Sasuke's gaze swiveled to her. Was she completely plastered, or was there a note of relief in his obsidian eyes?_

_Surely it was the alcohol, but if she was drunk, she was going to enjoy the delusion that maybe Sasuke wanted her to blow off other guys, that maybe he wanted her all to himself. Giggling at her own sillliness, she batted her eyelashes coyly up at him and didn't notice the tightening of his jaw._

_"I'm interested in somebody else," she revealed, with a wink. "Kiba's not my type."_

_"Hn." Sasuke approached her casually, but in his pockets, his hands were clenched into fists. Who was Sakura interested in? Which undeserving shitbag would he need to put in the hospital for having the audacity to come onto her? His mind raced through a catalogue of suspects even as the forbidden question escaped his mouth. "Who."_

_Sakura blinked, then flushed a shade of scarlet that would have made Hinata proud._

_"I'm not telling YOU!" she hissed, as though the idea were the most mortifying in the world. "Jesus. Sasuke-kun I'm really drunk, can we just go home?"_

_He narrowed his eyes and acquiesced. He'd get her home all right, but this conversation was far from over._

_He still needed a name._

_And whoever it was, he was going to get his ass kicked clear across Konoha._

Sakura had nearly blurted out the identity of her secret love, _to_ her secret love, all because she had gotten drunk and talkative. The idea, even a full year later, was mortifying, and more than enough reason to question her hard-partying habits.

She stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, shaking her head slowly, still unable to believe how close she had been to thoroughly humiliating herself in front of Uchiha Sasuke. Maybe a few AA meetings _were_ in order...

Giggling at the thought, she towel-dried her hair and dressed quickly in a pair of denim shorts and a cream-colored tank top, with brown strappy sandals. She brushed her teeth and threw her long hair up in a ponytail, weaving a couple of braids in the sides with a quick flourish of her fingers.

She was glad she had managed to stifle her big fat enormous mouth back then; that night hadn't been the right moment. As far as Sasuke was concerned at that point, she had grown out of her embarrassing middle school crush and regarded him as nothing more than a friend.

The time had come, however, to change all that, and reveal to Sasuke that far from outgrowing her feelings, she had fallen completely in love with him, the right kind of love, not the shallow, superficial crush it had been all those years ago.

And she _would_ tell him.

As long as he made good on his promise to find her.


	14. Square One and Useless Allies

Hinata's alarm sounded at 9 am. She woke with a start, remembering her mission from the night before:

They had until noon to evacuate the hotel, before Naruto told the others where they were.

Miraculously free of a hangover, Hinata hopped out of bed and roused a sleeping Ino, who was curled tightly around her pillow and looked more dead than alive.

"Ino-chan!" she said loudly. "Ino-chan, wake up, it's 9! We need to get ready to go!"

Ino mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, "Fuck off you fucking bitch, I hope you die," and snuggled deeper under the covers. Hinata's eyes narrowed; even sweet, unassuming Hyuuga Hinata had her limits. In a move of pure spite, she snatched the blanket off of Ino and tossed it onto the floor.

Ino sat up in alarm, a nasty insult on the tip of her tongue before Hinata cut her off.

"It's 9, we have to get going," she said shortly. Her stammer was absent in cases of extreme duress, extraordinary drunkenness, or excessive impatience. Ino guessed it was a mixture of the first and last, and begrudgingly got out of bed.

"S-Sakura-chan must be in the b-b-bathroom," Hinata added. Stammer was back; she was in a decent mood again. Good, because Ino had a raging headache and had slept like shit, unable to quell the roiling in her stomach at Shikamaru's possible betrayal. The suspicion was choking her and she had yet to say anything to her friends.

"Let's get dressed, then," Ino said with a convincing grin. "I want to be on the road towards Amegakure before the idiots are even awake."

At that moment, Sakura emerged from the bathroom looking tired but clean and ready to go. She smiled sheepishly at her friends.

"Sorry I got so hammered," she said, giggling. "What's on the agenda today?"

"Get your shit packed up, Forehead," Ino ordered. "We've got a deadline."

As they packed and dressed, Ino explained what Sakura had missed the night before; how the boys had met up with Gaara, Kankurou, and Temari (she glossed over the significance of Temari's presence with Shikamaru, but a look of understanding had settled in Sakura's eyes), and how they'd separated to scour the area hotels. When she revealed that Naruto knew of their whereabouts, but had promised to keep mum until noon, Sakura looked distressed.

"Tell me you made him swear!" she said nervously. "To every God out there, all the pinkies in the world, tell me you made him swear to _ramen!_ This would be a _disaster_ if they catch us now, it's only been three days!"

"Chill, Forehead," Ino replied smugly. She slipped on her jeweled flipflops and tied her blonde hair up in a sleek, perfect ponytail. "Of course I made him swear. He's having too much fun on this vacation to even consider ending it now."

"Then we got lucky again," Sakura sighed. "We're having way too many close calls here. What if it had been Sasuke who'd picked our hotel to search? Or Shikamaru? They'd've found us right away, they're not as brainless as Naruto."

"Well, Ame's a good ways away from here. I say we tell them we're heading to Oto or Kiri or something, to throw them off. Buy us some more time."

"We c-can't," Hinata said firmly. "We promised N-Naruto we'd g-give him a hint, if he d-didn't tell on us r-r-right away."

Ino rolled her eyes, but couldn't deny that Hinata had a point. They owed Naruto for sure.

"So what hint do we give?" Sakura wondered. "We could tell them the city...and absolutely nothing else. Ame's small for a city, but there's no way they'll find us there, if we conceal ourselves properly. Not to _mention,_ the fact that it rains there almost constantly means Kiba can't use his terrifying sense of smell to track us down."

"Rain?" Ino whined. "Damn it, Forehead, I don't want to go fuck around in the rain again, it'll be horrendous on my hair!"

"Ino-pig I am starving and hung over and the absolute last thing in the world I care about at this moment in my life is your hair." Sakura's smile was sweet. "Now let's get going. It's eight hours to Ame and if I don't get a bagel soon, I will crash the Jeep on purpose killing everyone inside. Let's move out!"

xoxoxo

Sasuke was not a happy camper.

His search the night before (which had lasted until 3 am) had been fruitless. He'd even threatened the concierge to give him the names of any group of teenage girls staying there with bodily harm, but he had been escorted out by security.

A fancy, no-frills way of saying he'd been thrown out on his ass.

They'd crashed at Gaara's house and slept till noon, when Naruto woke all of them up trembling with excitement, the biggest shit-eating grin in the world stretching his whiskered face.

"The girls were staying at the Boardwalk Motel!" he revealed, as though divulging the fiercely-guarded secrets of the universe. He had his arms folded across his chest in satisfaction as he took in the bleary-eyed faces of his friends, each more confused and annoyed than the last.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kiba demanded, his voice gruff and raspy from sleep. His brown hair was even more rumpled then normal, and a trail of dried drool ran down his chin.

"Open your ears, dogbreath. The girls were staying at the Boardwalk Motel. Hinata-chan told me last night!"

"You moron, you said they weren't there!" Sasuke snapped.

"Well, I told 'em I'd give 'em a head start, in exchange for a hint about where they're going next."

"Damn it, Naruto!" Kiba shouted. They were awake now, incandescent with rage for their dimwitted friend. "What do you mean a _hint? _We coulda had them last night! Game over, we win! I knew we shouldn't have let you go off by the fucking _ramen stand_ on your own!"

"Oh, relax," Naruto scoffed. "It's only been a couple days. It wouldn't be any fun if we caught up to them so early."

"Clearly you and I have very different ideas of 'fun'," Shikamaru said dryly, as he entered the guest bedroom where the others had slept. He'd left them alone the night before without a word of explanation, and looked oddly disheveled.

"Exactly how much of a head start did you give them, you incurable dumbass?" Sasuke seethed.

"I told 'em I'd tell you guys at noon."

"Then they're long fucking gone by now," Kiba snarled. "You fucking idiot!"

"Don't forget about the hint!" Naruto insisted.

"Which was?" Kiba demanded.

"I didn't...I didn't get it yet, but it's coming!"

"_What do you mean, you didn't get it yet?_"

"Relax, Kiba, I know Hinata-chan will keep her word! She promised us a hint. She swore to ramen! Well, _I _swore to ramen, she just kinda handed the phone to Ino and Ino agreed, so..."

"What makes you think Yamanaka's gonna keep her promise?" Sasuke fumed.

"She...said she would?"

Sasuke had spent the next hour pummeling his useless best friend into a bloody smear on Gaara's fine carpet. It was long overdue; three days in Naruto's constant company, his mission hampered by his chronic stupidity, and Sasuke needed to vent some of his frustration. The fact that Naruto healed suspiciously quickly made him feel slightly better about kicking his ass.

But now they were back where they started: miles behind a purple Jeep full of maddening girls with no clue where to start looking. The only thing they had to go on at this point was a hint from Yamanaka Ino that may or may not be coming; his three allies were each more useless and infuriating than the last, and he was out of ideas.

Kiba seemed hellbent on making his attraction to Sakura known, and apart from his keen sense of smell (the creepiest skill Sasuke could ever conceive of), he'd contributed nothing to the hunt. Naruto was brainless, helpless, and hopeless, and if Sasuke didn't know any better, he would have suspected that his idiot best friend was trying his hardest to screw up at every turn. And Shikamaru?

Apparently the laziest member of the Class of 2012 had not been too lazy to slip into bed with his ex-girlfriend the night before.

Kiba couldn't have cared less and Naruto was oblivious, but Sasuke knew exactly what Shikamaru and Temari had been up to the night before, why he hadn't slept in the guest room with the rest of them.

If Ino wasn't helping Sakura lead him around the world on a wild goose chase, he would have felt sorry for her; she was aggravating and bossy and basically everything he hated in a woman, but she was also a friend. And Shikamaru had taken her loud affection and thrown it away last night in favor of a woman even more aggravating and bossy and loud than Ino. And she didn't even know it.

Still, his sympathy only extended so far. As it was, Ino _was_ helping Sakura on this insane manhunt. She was the enemy, and Shikamaru was his (lazy, useless) ally.

Sasuke did not have much to go on at this point, but if Sakura was laboring under the delusion that he would give up so easily, she had another thing coming.

As if thinking about her had forged some telekinetic connection between them, a text flashed across the screen of his iPhone.

From: Sakura

By now, Naruto will have told you what he did, you will have kicked his ass, and you're stewing in some broody, angst Sasuke rage because you don't know what to do next. Well, maybe this will help. Here's your hint: Ame! See you there...if you're lucky! ;)


	15. Stupid Jetta

According to Ino's diabolical plan, the girls had shipped out hours before the boys were even awake, and after a nice breakfast at a cheap diner, they were currently en route to Amegakure. It was Sakura's turn to drive, and they were two hours away from Suna before Hinata began to miss Naruto.

Not that this wasn't a fun trip, but she had never liked the idea of leaving him behind.

She sighed quietly in the back while the other girls screamed more than sing the lyrics to old Backstreet Boys songs, lost in her musings. She knew that it was foolish of her to cling to Uzumaki Naruto, when he not only didn't reciprocate her feelings (despite Ino and Sakura's loud protests to the contrary), but didn't even know of them in the first place.

But she couldn't help it.

He was absolutely everything she could ever want in a boy. Beyond his boyish good looks, mischievous nature and sense of humor, he was, down to his core, the kindest person she had ever met. Bright, and _good._

She had liked him for ages, since kindergarten, but for most of their school days, Naruto's heart had belonged to Sakura. It was an unrequited love, but it broke Hinata's heart nonetheless, and even made her resent the pink-haired beauty a little bit, in the worst part of her soul. How could she possess the love of a good person like Uzumaki Naruto, and not return it?

She would later forgive Sakura for that, after getting to know the girl and truly befriending her. Because if there was one girl on the planet who was as sweet and kind to her core as Naruto was, it was Sakura. And she couldn't help being the recipient of Naruto's affections, so Hinata couldn't hold that against her.

But Naruto's one-sided crush had evolved into something else entirely different, a brother-sister love that Hinata was no longer threatened by. This meant that there was room in Naruto's heart for a girl, but the odds that that girl was _her_ seemed insurmountable, and heartbreakingly so. What would Naruto, the embodiment of goodness and light and happiness, ever see in shy, stuttering Hyuuga Hinata?

She sank into her seat, thoroughly depressed at the niggling doubt that had overtaken her thoughts. Curtains of long, shiny black hair spilled down her shoulders and obscured her vision. Irritated, she shook her hair out of her face and stared up at the sun overhead.

What good would it do, to dwell on this crushing despair?

Sakura was in a similar situation with Sasuke, Ino with Shikamaru. None of them were sure where they stood with their counterparts, but that didn't stop Sakura and Ino from embracing the fun and boundless joy of summer. She looked up at her best friends in the front seat with a familiar surge of envy and longing; Ino's arms were raised high over her head as she belted out the lyrics to a rousing chorus of, "I Want It That Way," while beside her, in the driver's seat, tears of mirth were spilling from Sakura's eyes as she sang along with her.

Hinata's resolve hardened.

She would do the same thing, and damn her feelings for Naruto to hell if they were going to interfere with her perfect summer. She did not need to focus so much on the depressing uncertainties regarding her status with Naruto anymore than Sakura did with Sasuke, or Ino did with Shikamaru.

She needed a change, she realized, as she gripped her waist-length black hair tightly in one small, pale hand. This hair, this long, cumbersome hair that she had grown out of admiration for her friends in front seat, this hair that she hid behind...

It had to go.

"S-Sakura-chan," she spoke up.

Ino quickly turned down the music as Sakura replied, "Yeah, what's up?"

"Let's...let's find a hair s-salon, on the way."

Sakura glanced in the rear view mirror, and her eyes locked with Hinata's; understanding passed between the two girls as Sakura grinned.

"Sure thing."

xoxoxo

The air conditioning in Sasuke's Jetta crapped out ten minutes outside of Suna.

This would not normally be a problem, were it not for three things:

1) Suna was surrounded on all sides by _desert._

2) His car was crammed full of teenage boys and their smelly suitcases.

3) Sasuke had left his tools at home, to make room for his aggravating passengers.

This did not help his mood by any stretch of the imagination, and rolling down the windows did almost nothing to help, as only muggy, stifling hot air filtered in. Driving extremely fast offered an acrid breeze, but the heat had made Naruto violently carsick, which meant Sasuke had to slow down or risk Naruto destroying the interior with regurgitated ramen.

They could have turned back around to Suna, to ask Gaara for help or find a repairman, but they didn't have the money and Sasuke was too proud to impose on the Sabaku siblings any further. The girls were getting further and further away as it was.

Not to mention, he had a feeling that the farther they kept Shikamaru from Temari, the better. The goodbyes had been harried and they were on the road before Temari could demand to come along, as Sasuke had suspected she might.

"How much longer to Ame?" he demanded through gritted teeth. A bead of sweat trickled from his forehead, down his cheek and jaw and into his hair.

"Looks like it's four more hours," Kiba reported, after consulting the map. He was flushed from the heat and completely pissed off.

"Hn."

Shikamaru, in the passenger's seat, contributed nothing to the conversation, not even his trademark dry comments or bored sighs. He was frustratingly silent as he contemplated his interactions with his ex-girlfriend, unblinkingly taking in the sights of the desert they were cruising through at an achingly slow pace, given the instability of Naruto's stomach.

They were all in such terrible moods that no one spoke after that; one wrong word or false move and a four-man fistfight could have broken out, and they wouldn't be able to catch up to the girls confined in hospital beds.

They crossed the desert in two hours, and the mugginess in the air disappeared as trees began cropping up along the highway. Green, green grass and vegetation appeared seemingly out of nowhere, as well as a heavy cloud cover that threatened thunderstorms but offered welcome shade from the unforgiving desert sun.

"Guess we reached Ame," Naruto said cheerfully, his carsickness cured with their arrival.

"Not yet, we haven't," Kiba corrected. "We got out of the desert, though, thank Christ. It's another two hours to Ame. We gotta find a mechanic there or something."

"Can't afford it," Shikamaru contributed at last, a disappointing remark if Kiba and Naruto had ever heard one.

"We can pick up some tools from a shop," Sasuke muttered. "I'll fix the damn air conditioner myself."

Several hours later, they did just that, arriving in Amegakure, the City of Rain; it was aptly named as well, for once they crossed the border into the city proper, the skies had opened up and it was raining heavily. They found a garage and a mechanic who lent them the necessary tools, and Sasuke began the repair while the other guys grabbed some food from a nearby gas station.

As he worked, Sasuke's thoughts returned to Sakura, as they often seemed to lately. With no small amount of masculine pride, he recalled a time similar to this, when he had earned her respect and gratitude with this inherent knowledge of cars.

_"We're gonna be so late!" Sakura moaned, grabbing her hair in two fists in a display of sheer feminine melodrama._

_Sasuke rolled his eyes but obligingly gunned the engine even harder._

_Sakura, sixteen but currently without a license, had needed a lift to her dance recital, a pivotal event in her life, as she put it, given that first prize was a $10,000 scholarship to the college of her choice. Her mother had been unwilling to help her (as per usual) and her father was away on a business trip, so Sasuke had offered to drive her to the studio several hours from Konoha, in Tea Country._

_But they had run into traffic at the border, and were a full hour behind schedule. Sakura did not handle deviations from her schedule well at all, and was convinced that this tardiness was a sign that she was not only a third-rate dancer, but that she was destined to never attend college and become a surgeon like she had always wanted._

_Sasuke's patience for her was wearing thin, and he opened his mouth to tell her exactly what he thought of her unnecessary histrionics when there was a loud POP, and he lost control of the wheel._

_"Shit!"_

_He seized Sakura by the collar of her jacket and slammed her back into her seat with one hand, while he jerked the wheel hard to the side with the other. His quick maneuvering both protected Sakura's head from colliding with the passenger door window, and steered them safely off the road, away from the other drivers. The car skidded to a stop._

_"You all right?" he asked immediately._

_She looked shaken but fine. "Y-Yeah," she replied. "Did we hit something?"_

_"Hn. Tire must've blown."_

_"Oh, no!"_

_"Hn."_

_Satisfied (and relieved, though he would never say so) that she was unharmed, Sasuke unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car to examine the damage. He swore again when he saw that the rear left tire was flat; he must've run over broken glass or something._

_Luckily, he had a spare tire in the trunk, and he removed his black blazer (that Sakura had coerced him into buying) and tossed it back into the car._

_"Stay there, I'm gonna change the tire," he instructed._

_Sasuke lifted the heavy tire replacement out of the trunk, along with a jack and wrench and knelt down on the pavement to get started. But just as he was about to prop the car up on the jack, Sakura (disobeying him as per always) knelt beside him to watch._

_"I thought I told you to-"_

_"Show me how?" she asked, cutting him off, and the question was so sincere that he almost didn't know how to respond. Normally his conversations with Sakura were limited to intellectual debates, fierce arguments, or sarcastic exchanges; she almost never sacrificed the upper hand, but here she was, asking him submissively to teach her something she didn't know how to do._

_Part of Sasuke liked that, and his lips quirked at the corners._

_So he acquiesced, and taught her where to place the jack and how to pump it; she had done a nice job, and knew which tool to hand him when he asked her for a wrench, something most other girls would have blanked on. He showed her the proper order with which to remove lugnuts, and let her do so. On the fourth lugnut, he stopped her, placing his hand over her much-smaller one._

_"Not that one. You go in a star-pattern."_

_Sasuke glanced at her as she looked up to face him. Her cheeks were flushed the palest shade of pink and she giggled nervously; the proximity was beginning to affect him, before she asked, "Oh, it's this one then?"_

_She indicated the last lugnut, and he nodded curtly and let her remove it._

_Five minutes later, Sasuke was satisfied with their work. He lifted the flat tire and tossed it into the trunk before slamming the lid closed. When he looked at Sakura, expecting her to already be seated and yelling at him to hurry up already, he was surprised to find her staring up at him with what could only be described as stars shining in her verdant green eyes._

_"That was so cool, Sasuke-kun, I never knew you could do that," she said admiringly._

_"Hn. It's easy. Now you know for when you get your license, in case it happens to you." He brushed off her admiration on the outside, but reveled in it privately, something he would absolutely never tell her._

_Sakura smiled nonetheless, and stood on tiptoe to wrap her arms around his neck. Sasuke stiffened at the contact, unused to the familiarity, but he reasoned that it was different with Sakura somehow than with the other girls who clung to him like leeches. She was warm and soft and very small, and though he didn't return the hug, he didn't push her away either._

_"You always know what to do and you're always there for me," she whispered. "Thank you so much, Sasuke-kun."_

_They made it to the recital with minutes to spare, and as he watched her routine from the audience, putting on a facade of pure annoyance that he had to be there in the first place, he held onto her words like a lifeline. And he wasn't even surprised when she won._

Years later, Sasuke still thought about what she had said. Every time he worked on his Jetta, he would think about how impressed she had been with his aptitude, and how grateful she had been to learn from him.

But more than that, he would recall the way she had said, "_You always know what to do, and you're always there for me._"

Did she really believe that?

Sasuke wiped the sweat off his brow as he fiddled with the air conditioner (something he was not certified to work on, but did anyway, because he was just as arrogant as everyone said he was) and thought back to the occasion. They were sixteen, which meant he had only returned to Konoha from Oto several months prior. He knew that his abandonment of her was still raw, and by no means had she felt that he would always be there for her.

But she'd said it. Did that mean that she had forgiven his defection back then? Had he earned her reliance once more?

He liked to think that he did. Because while he didn't need anyone else's approval, he had always tried (subconsciously) to earn Sakura's.

He rewrapped the faulty wiring with electrical tape and turned the Jetta back on. The air conditioner kicked to life, and he smirked at his success.

If showing her something as basic as fixing a flat had earned him a hug, he wondered what he'd need to do to impress her enough for something more than that...

**note..** Hello there! Thank you so much for the support and suggestions. I've still got a long way to go with this story (that I have fallen in love with writing) and your feedback is so encouraging. Let me know what you think. :) Have a beautiful night, I love you! xoxo Daisy


	16. Insecurities Exchange Commission

They reached Ame mid-afternoon, mid-thunderstorm, and mid-Yamanaka-Ino-freakout.

"I just don't _understand_ you two!" she shrieked as they stepped inside a small but clean-looking hair salon and out of the rain. She paid absolutely no mind to the scandalized looks of the other patrons at her sheer volume, and she never had. "What the hell kind of statement do you plan on making by cutting your hair off, huh? I'll tell you what kind: a big _fat lesbian mistake!_"

"Oh for Christ's sake, Ino, shut your pig mouth," Sakura said with an elegant eye roll. "If I recall correctly, you cut your hair off around the same time I did."

"Yeah, and then I grew that shit out same as you because while I'm all for gay rights and with the program and all that, I'm not trying to send a mixed message."

"The only mixed message that you're sending is that you're cool with homosexuality but that short hair is for lesbians, like it's bad to be a lesbian, and that all lesbians have short hair. You're running on too many ill-informed stereotypes here, Piglet. Hinata-chan would look stunning with short hair, remember when she had that pixie cut in elementary school?"

"If I had long, luxurious black hair like Hinata's," Ino growled out through gritted teeth, "I would never _ever_ ruin it! I like her big fat boobs, too, you gonna chop those off next?"

"I'm gonna chop your pig head off if you don't keep your mouth shut and support your friend!" Sakura hissed.

"Is this about Naruto?" Ino asked in annoyance. "Is that why you're doing this? Is the chase getting so frustrating that you're switching teams now?"

"Oh for God's sake Ino you're coming off as such a homophobe right now."

"I-I am doing this about Naruto, but I'm d-d-doing it for myself," Hinata spoke up at last as she penned her name on the guest list and waited for an available stylist. "I need a change. And look how w-well it worked for Sakura. Hair grows b-back, you know. If I want l-long hair again, I'll g-grow it out. But for now...I want a ch-change. Okay?"

Ino sighed in agitation. "If I really can't stop you."

A tall woman with long, choppy ash-colored hair and shockingly red eyes approached them with a serene smile.

"Hello, I'm Kurenai," she introduced herself. "Which one of you is Hinata?"

"That's m-me," Hinata offered shyly.

"All right, then, Hinata, if you'll just come with me, I'll get you started on your brand new look. Your friends can wait right here, we'll be out in no time!"

She ushered Hinata away quickly and Sakura and Ino sat down beside each other on the love seat in the waiting area. Ino glanced around with a critical eye, disliking the floral pattern on the cushions they sat on coupled with the pale pink wallpaper, disliking everything about this whole stupid place and wishing they could get back in the Jeep, where the Backstreet Boys and Sakura's tone deaf accompaniment could distract her from her worries.

"So you gonna talk to me about it, or will I have to call Shikamaru?"

Ino stiffened and glared at Sakura, who was paging through a book of hair styles absently and with an all-knowing glint in her green eyes.

"There's nothing to talk about," Ino said flatly.

Her best friend merely shook her head. "That might work on someone who doesn't know you as well as I do," she replied. "I know you're upset. You can tell me. I won't tell anyone."

Ino hated this feeling, that she didn't have a rein on her emotions, that Sakura might understand her better than she understood herself. But that came with the territory of being a best friend...and Ino trusted Sakura beyond any other.

"Not even Hinata?" she asked stiffly.

"Not even Hinata. Why do you think I waited so long to ask?"

Ino bit her lip before erupting with, "He's with Temari. Or he was last night. Or I don't even know what because he hasn't said _one word _to me since we left Konoha. Not even _once!_ We're supposed to be like inseparable all through high school and he hasn't even _asked_ about me!"

Sakura remained silent, internalizing what she was hearing and allowing Ino the courtesy of continuing.

"Temari's the only girl he's ever showed interest in," Ino went on heatedly. "And it makes no sense, because she's just like me only from a farther away place. So if that's his type, why has he never gone for me, huh? What does she have that I don't?

"Like why did he even come on this trip if it wasn't to try and be with me? I thought that if he really came along, that would mean that I was worth the effort. Why am I not worth it? What the hell does he see in HER that makes her better than me?"

Ino became horrifyingly aware that tears had risen to her eyes. This was not the place to have this discussion, not by any stretch of the imagination; the salon was small but crowded, women gossiping and chatting freely amongst one another, and Ino knew she was about to break down. But now that she had started, she couldn't stop.

"I don't have any evidence that he did anything with her," she admitted. "But I have this _feeling._ I can't describe it, Sakura, I just have it and it's a bad feeling and I think...I think he did something with her. Or he's going to. Or he's thinking about it. And I don't know. I don't know what's going on. I just _don't know_ because he won't even talk to me. And thinking about it is driving me insane! When did I get this insecure?"

Ino finally burst into tears. She hated herself for this weakness, for allowing suspicion to overwhelm her like a garden-variety housewife. She hated herself for crying over a boy, over _any_ boy, because, as she would often tell her friends, no boy was ever worth a girl's tears.

But, she realized miserably, Shikamaru wasn't just any boy to her, and maybe he never had been.

She felt warm arms pull her in and with a sob of frustration, she cried into Sakura's shoulder while her best friend stroked her hair comfortingly. Still, she said nothing in reply, and Ino realized with a throb of gratitude that Sakura understood her better than anyone else in the world ever could. While Hinata, or Tenten back home or any of her other friends would have offered her verbal support, scorning Shikamaru's potential unfaithfulness and advising her what to do next, Sakura just _knew_ that Ino didn't need all that. She just needed a friend to care enough to ask what was going on with her, and to let her talk it out herself. She needed to hear what Ino was saying, not tell her what to do.

"I'm being stupid. Aren't I?" Ino grinned through her tears and pulled back from Sakura's embrace to dry her eyes. "I don't even know what he's done or hasn't done. Most likely he slept right through the whole trip to Suna. I shouldn't hate on him for something he might not even have done."

"You're not stupid," Sakura murmured with a smile of her own. She picked up the book of hair styles again and returned to it as if there had been no interruption, while Ino fixed herself hastily. And then Sakura added, with the protectiveness that only a best friend could feel, "You're just way too good for him. And you always have been."

Ino let herself drown in those words. Never before had Sakura said anything like that; she had only ever been supportive of Ino's feelings for Shikamaru. Was that really how she felt? That Shikamaru didn't deserve her?

Ino supposed she could understand that. She often felt (and told anyone that would listen) that Sasuke didn't deserve Sakura, not even in the slightest. Nothing he ever did would make him good enough to date her best friend, regardless of their (obvious) mutual feelings.

With that thought in mind, Ino wished that it was actually possible to "switch teams," as she had accused Hinata of doing earlier. Because as far as she was concerned, Sakura was too good for everyone and if Ino was, too, then they should just date each other already.

At that moment, Kurenai strode out to the waiting area with an embarrassed Hinata in tow, a triumphant smile on her painted red lips as she all but shoved her client in front of her friends.

"Meet the new, improved Hyuuga Hinata!"

Sakura and Ino gasped.

Gone were Hinata's pin-straight locks of deepest black; Kurenai had shorn it off to a length just slightly longer than Kiba's, with choppy bangs and so many layers that it was impossible to tell where her length was located. It framed her face sweetly, but the tousled look was more sexy than anything, and Hinata looked at her friends nervously for their reaction.

"You look _amazing!_" Sakura choked. "Oh my God Hinata-chan that looks so great! It's so much shorter than I thought it would be and it's so fucking good!"

Kurenai looked satisfied at her reaction, and all eyes turned to Ino.

She looked at Hinata almost reverently, as one might kneel before a virgin queen, and whispered, "Hinata you now have the sexiest fucking hair in the entire land. I am literally unworthy to be in your presence. I can't even look at you right now."

Hinata flushed beet red, but this time it was with happiness.

And in the face of Hinata's happiness, Ino felt her own misery wash away. The depressing doubt about Nara Shikamaru and his questionable loyalties could wait; this bullseye of a makeover called for a big, drunken, thunderstormy celebration of epic Yamanaka Ino proportions.

xoxoxo

The boys rented a room for the night at a run-down hostel near Ame. A quick inspection of the parking lot revealed zero purple Jeeps, so they gathered inside the cramped room to figure out their next move.

"It's too early for them to be in bed yet," Kiba said thoughtfully, glancing at the clock, which read 5:00 pm, then out the window at the thunderstorm. "And the weather's too shitty for them to be outside. So what do you think they're doing?"

Sasuke, who had showered after his messy foray into his precious Jetta's interior and changed into a plain white V-neck and a pair of blue gym shorts, was looking oddly self-satisfied despite their utter failure in their big mission. He didn't answer.

Shikamaru had been unusually quiet, even for him, ever since departing from Suna. Kiba suspected it had something to do with his ex-girlfriend Temari, and that annoyed him for some reason; Shikamaru was well aware of Ino's feelings for him, but he messed around with that masculine Sabaku sister nonetheless?

That didn't sit right with him. He would never string a girl along, and mess around with another behind her back.

Vaguely he missed Akamaru, his dog, best friend, and the only being on the planet who could understand this desperate last bid for Sakura's heart.

Naruto was rambling off the different restaurants nearby that they could eat at, ranking them in order of the likelihood that ramen would be on their menus, and Kiba tuned him out. Contemplative brown eyes slid to the self-assured Uchiha lounging on the bed; his main rival for Sakura's affections.

Kiba begrudgingly understood why all the girls seemed to go insane for Sasuke. He was pretty much God's gift to woman, tall and muscular and, if the girls at Konoha High School were to be believed, he had a "face like a prince on the cover of a romance novel, black eyes you could drown yourself in, and hair as soft as the finest silk."

Kiba, having never run his fingers through Sasuke's hair himself, could not determine if that was true or not.

He supposed the attitude was a real draw for the chicks as well. Sasuke had that bad boy, brooding, misunderstood mysterious thing going for him. He held everyone at bay and that seemed to make girls go crazy for him.

But what was it that drew _Sakura_ so?

She was not like other girls. She was different, an _exception_. She wasn't shallow like Watanabe Ami and her friends back home, who had established an Uchiha Sasuke Fan Club, possibly the creepiest organization he had ever heard of, after the Ku Klux Klan. She wouldn't allow herself to be suckered in by his aloofness or charmed by his appearance.

There had to be something deeper than that.

Kiba drowned out the sound of Naruto's demands to be fed with his own musings.

He was aware that Sasuke registered him as a threat. They were friends, to be sure, but not as close as they used to be, given Sasuke's tendency to glare at him whenever Sakura was present, or brought up in conversation. Sasuke also seemed to take every available opportunity to insert himself between Kiba and Sakura, not quite cockblocking but pretty close to it.

Kiba smirked. If Sasuke was threatened by him, that meant that he still had a chance.

With that, he stared his rival square in the eye, and watched the satisfaction in his coal black eyes morph quickly into suspicion. Smirk stretching still wider across his tattooed face, he asked the taboo question,

"So. How long you been into Sakura?"


	17. With Friends Like These

It seemed a trip to the movies was in order.

Given the weather outside, which was more a hurricane at this point than a thunderstorm, there were very few other options. But movies were a distraction, and that was why Sakura picked the dilapidated old theater a few blocks from the hotel they were staying at.

They could all use a distraction.

They picked a gory, gruesome action movie, the farthest thing from a romance they could possibly choose. Sadly, with the weather being so terrible, Ino's massive party to celebrate Hinata's new style (and attitude) was postponed until further notice and better weather. Passing a massive bucket of popcorn, saturated with an obscene amount of butter, around between them, Ino laughed loudly at the cheap effects, Hinata near-sobbed at the violence, and Sakura stared at the screen lost in her thoughts.

Hinata may have her insecurities regarding her standing with Naruto, but Sakura had faith in the both of them, and was confident that they would work everything out in due time.

The problem was Ino and Shikamaru.

Sakura was sure that Shikamaru had feelings for her best friend.

But she wasn't sure that they were strong enough.

Ino deserved everything, as far as Sakura was concerned, and she should settle for nothing less. And Ino knew that herself as well...until Shikamaru came along. She had fallen in love with the lazy genius somewhere along the way, and with that, came the crippling doubt and frustrating suspicion. The worst part of it was, Ino had every reason to be suspicious. Shikamaru and Temari had a history.

And he hadn't communicated with Ino at all.

Despite running hell-for-leather from Sasuke at every turn, they had at least established semi-regular contact with one another over the phone.

Sakura put on a brave face for Ino, electing not to tell her that, from her viewpoint, the likelihood of their happy ending seemed further and further away.

That made this vacation all the more necessary; now that she was more than sure that her best friend was going to get her heart broken, this was no longer merely about playing hide and seek with the guys.

It was about keeping Yamanaka Ino together when Shikamaru tried to break her.

Her green eyes became steely as she contemplated her next move.

Shikamaru had always been a good friend of hers, but he was nothing next to Ino. Ino was Sakura's best and truest friend; there was nothing she wouldn't do for her, and if it meant severing ties with the lazy two-timer, then she was willing to do that.

Sakura wanted to tell Ino her honest take on the situation, but she didn't have it in her to do so. No stranger to a broken heart, she would have given absolutely anything to spare her friend from the crippling agony that was so soon to befall her.

Her phone buzzed to life, the light on the screen even brighter than normal in the darkness of the theater, earning her a few grumbles and glares. Sasuke was calling.

Suppressing a purely-instinctual smile, she whispered, "I'll be right back, you guys," to Ino and Hinata, both of whom were too enthralled by the gorefest to even look up; Sakura hurried out of the theater and pressed Answer when in the lobby.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn. You sound worried."

"I am," she sighed. "Or rather...I will be. Or...I don't know."

"You're being weird." Which translated to, "What do you mean? What's wrong?"

"So...we know you met up with Gaara and Kankurou and Temari back in Suna. Right?"

"Aa."

"Did...Did Shikamaru...Sasuke-kun did he _do_ anything with Temari? Like...you know what I mean...?"

Sasuke sighed on the other line, as though debating whether he should say anything, halfway confirming Sakura's fears.

"Please tell me, Sasuke-kun. I need to know how to handle this here on out." She paused. "She's my best friend."

Sasuke hesitated before replying. "Aa."

"Shit. _Shit._ Are you _sure?_"

Sakura listened as Sasuke briefly explained about Shikamaru's disappearance the night before, and his rumpled state upon returning, and the fact that he was keeping even quieter than usual about what he'd been up to. Her heart ached for Ino already and she didn't even know yet.

"I knew it, I _knew it._ Damn it, this trip was such a bad idea!"

"It wasn't bad. It was _stupid,_ but this trip..." He paused. "It wasn't your fault. It was his choice, not yours."

"Ino's gonna be destroyed by this."

"Hn."

"What should I do, Sasuke-kun?" she whispered. "Should we just...go home? Give up?"

Sasuke was quiet for a minute as he pondered Sakura's question. Tears spilled from Sakura's eyes as she waited; the whole thing was going to collapse, and they had wasted everyone's time on this stupid, stupid...

"No."

"N-No?"

"Hn. Keep her busy. Keep _us_ busy. We'd be home bored anyway."

Sakura couldn't believe what Sasuke was saying. An incredulous smile split her face as he confirmed what she'd suspected from the beginning.

"So you're saying...you're actually _enjoying_ this, Sasuke-kun."

"Tch. No. But I'm gonna win. Not by default. I'm gonna catch your ass and you'll regret this whole damn thing."

Sakura giggled. She couldn't help it. Sasuke was absolutely terrible at comforting people and he always had been, but one five-minute conversation had reinvigorated her. Her purpose renewed, she held the phone like a lifeline.

"You sound pretty confident in yourself. I think that's gonna be your undoing."

"Hn."

"That's right. You keep underestimating me."

"I think you're overestimating yourself."

She laughed again.

"You're talking to me. Thought I was the enemy."

"Sasuke-kun we're playing a game here," Sakura said softly, tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear. "A game that's getting more intense by the minute, apparently, but still a game. We're opponents. Not enemies. It's not like I hate you." She smiled. "Quite the opposite actually."

Sasuke was quiet on the other line.

"I've gotta go now, Sasuke-kun. Thank you for telling me about Shikamaru."

"I don't get anything in return?" he asked coolly.

"Hm," she said thoughtfully. "A hint, huh? That's a shame, we gave you a big one already, don't tell me you need even more help?"

"Tch, never mind. I don't need a hint."

He hung up. She chuckled to herself at his stupid male pride and pocketed her cell phone in an almost loving manner before returning to the movie, a slight spring in her step before remembering the daunting task before her.

How was she going to tell Ino?

xoxoxo

Sasuke hung up with Sakura and stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, unsurprised to see a smirk of amusement across his face.

The shower had been refreshing, but not quite as invigorating as his talk with Sakura. He had gotten her to laugh and tease him even though she had been upset at the news about Shikamaru at the beginning.

He sighed and ran the back of his hand across his forehead to wipe off the moisture that remained there from the shower. When had he, stone-cold, icy-hearted Uchiha Sasuke become such a damn _softie?_

Almost everything he did was either controlled or influenced by Sakura these days, and he was finding it difficult to so much as mind. Right down to his clothes. He had dressed in a white V-neck T-shirt because she'd mentioned once that he looked good in them; his reasoning to himself was that, because they came six in a pack, they were cheap and easy, but if he was being honest...

Damn girl.

Leading him around the world like a dog on a leash, _and_ subtly controlling his wardrobe as well? Just who did she think he was?

He'd never met anything quite like her, and that was the only reason he put up with her.

The fact that she was extremely pretty didn't hurt either. Remembering the way she'd looked on the beach, soaking wet in that microscopic bikini, all tanned and curvy and...

Feeling a familiar warmth bloom in his abdomen, he forced the image out of his mind. His ubiquitous lustful thoughts about Sakura simply wouldn't do at this point in time, not with three overheated, undersexed guys stuffing themselves full of pizza in the room beyond the bathroom. Shikamaru excluded, but apart from informing Sakura (base treachery according to the guy code), Sasuke was keeping as far away from that love triangle as he possibly could.

Smirking at both his success with the air conditioning in his car and the chat with his pink-haired pursuee, he exited the bathroom in a cloud of steam and joined his friends in the other room. He sprawled across one of the beds with a supremely satisfied look on his face.

The guys were debating the girls' whereabouts. Sasuke half-listened, choosing instead to replay the conversation in his head to see if Sakura had let slip any clues about her location, and was jolted out of his thoughts only to see Kiba staring at him with an evil look in his dark brown eyes. Sasuke's eyes narrowed in return as Kiba asked,

"So. How long you been into Sakura?"

Dead silence filled the room at that. Naruto stopped mid-ramen-ramble and his head swiveled around to face Sasuke. Even Shikamaru emerged from his silent brooding to turn his bored gaze on the situation.

Did Kiba have a _death wish?_

It seemed that way, because his shit-eating smirk only widened. Arms folded as he sat Indian-style on the floor, he was the perfect picture of relaxation, while Sasuke had stiffened so sharply he looked like he might break.

"Come on, man. You're among friends."

Sasuke became aware that he was glaring, but he couldn't help it. Kiba had not only openly declared himself a competitor for Sakura's heart, but he took every opportunity to aggravate Sasuke about their tenuous romantic situation. He was getting sick of putting his friends in their place...that his feelings for Sakura were off-limits to everyone but her, and that their interference was only making the situation worse.

"Was it after you came back from Oto, and saw how cute she'd gotten? Or when you guys were Homecoming King and Queen, that was a pretty big sign. Or maybe even before you left Konoha?"

"You seem unusually interested in something that's _none of your business,_" Sasuke returned coldly. It seemed that all the warmth had left the room, and there was nothing in his tone but ice. "Speculating on things that aren't there, all because she turned you _down._"

It got, if possible, even more tense between them, but Kiba's smirk was still in place as though he were horribly amused by the situation, rather than unnerved by it. If he was ruffled by Sasuke's reminder of Sakura's continual rejection, he didn't show it.

"Not answering the question," he taunted. "When did you fall for her?"

"Easy," Sasuke returned icily. "I didn't."

With that, he jumped up and shoved his feet into his beat-up Adidas sandals and grabbed a hoodie.

"Hey, where you going, man, it's rainin' bad out there, dattebayo!" Naruto looked concerned and not at all convinced by Sasuke's denial.

"If you're not into her, then you won't mind me going after her once we catch up to them, right?" Kiba's question was spoken innocently enough, but the glare in his eyes was threatening. Something was shifting in their friendship, something important, and hostility was boiling right under the surface.

"Tch," Sasuke scoffed. With nothing more than that, he grabbed one of the room keys and stalked out of the room. He didn't see Kiba's heinous grin, or the worried glance exchanged between Shikamaru and Naruto.

And he didn't see Kiba release the Record button on the cell phone in his hand.


	18. Brand New Do, Same Old Song and Dance

Sasuke stalked through the rain like a mad cat doused in water. His gaze was dark and forbidding, and strangers passing by on the sidewalks shied away from him as if on instinct. Not even the swarm of teenage girls huddled beneath umbrellas dared to approach him, and it was widely believed that Sasuke's handsome face had a female magnet installed within it.

Kiba was asking to get his ass kicked at this point.

It wasn't enough that he had to point out Sakura's beauty at every turn, in ways that were irritating at best and downright disrespectful at worst. It wasn't enough that he never missed a chance to flirt with her, even in front of Sasuke, when it was universally accepted that she was _his_ girl, regardless of the specifics.

But to formally challenge him?

Kiba went way too far this time.

Sasuke didn't owe him an explanation, or anyone else for that matter, besides Sakura herself. It was no one else's business how he felt about her and until he told her himself, all of the speculators could suck a rusty railroad spike for all he cared.

He wasn't sure how he was going to tell her, or even _what_ he was going to tell her. But that was for him to figure out, and if she kept playing this game as skillfully as she was so far, he would be left with plenty of time to do so.

Aimlessly, he drifted into a seedy-looking bar, the kind he recalled attending with Sakura, followed by a long lecture on why she should never ever enter one of these on her own. Deciding to disobey his own advice (because who was going to mess with a 6 foot 2, brooding mass of thug muscle?), he stalked inside and took a seat at the bar.

The bartender was an attractive woman in her mid-twenties, but Sasuke never paid attention to things like that. Even as the bottle-blonde gave him a salacious look and a sultry, "What'll it be, handsome?", he was not tempted in the slightest.

"Whiskey sour," he muttered.

"Can I see an ID?" she asked coyly, with a flutter of her eyelashes.

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he pulled his wallet out of the pocket of his hoodie and displayed his driver's license. The bartender drank in his name and murmured it slowly, as if savoring the sound of it on her double-pierced tongue.

"Uchiha Sasuke, huh? Little on the young side, but legal's legal. Whiskey sour coming right up. Is there anything else I can...give you?"

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow at the unmistakable double entendre; the bartender now faced him full-on, her arms pushing against her breasts to make them appear larger, her dark eyes half-lidded and full of sinful promises.

"No," he replied stonily, and couldn't have cared in the slightest if she was offended or not. With a huff of indignation, she stomped off to collect his drink for him and left him to his brooding thoughts. Satisfied, Sasuke laced his fingers together and rested his chin on them. Any of the guys would have been scandalized at his reaction to such a blatant offer. He himself might have suspected he was asexual, but the truth was, he had extremely specific tastes.

Pink hair, green eyes, and a competitive streak seemed to fit the bill nicely.

The bartender slammed the glass down in front of Sasuke, some of the contents spilling on the counter. He ignored her and knocked it back anyway, deciding that maybe he had room in his heart for both annoying little dancer-doctors _and_ this fine bottle of Jack's.

xoxoxo

Hinata couldn't have been happier as she tucked herself into bed that night.

Her hair was a huge hit. She'd even managed to snag Ino's approval, and as far as appearances were concerned, Ino was the most difficult girl on the planet to please. Winning her over meant that the choppy bob was a good choice, and exactly what Hinata needed to give her a jolt of confidence and optimism.

The future was looking bright.

Naruto's feelings towards her were still an unknown quantity.

But she would not let herself be defined only by her significance to the blonde bonehead who commanded her loyal heart. She would not be known only as Hyuuga Hinata, the stutterer who loves Uzumaki Naruto. She would allow that one aspect of her life to contribute to her self-worth, but no longer would it comprise her entire being.

This trip, with her wild best friends, was still in its' infancy, but already she felt like an entirely new person. She kept catching herself speaking entire sentences without any stammers or false starts, something she never would have thought possibly for herself, given her crippling social awkwardness. Sakura and Ino were rubbing off on her to be sure, but Hinata realized something else:

She was rubbing off on _herself._

Giddy with her newfound confidence, she pulled out her cell phone from beneath her pillow. Checking to see that the girls were asleep (and after a full bottle of cheap vodka mixed with VitaminWater, the only beverages available, they slept like the dead), she drafted a quick text to Naruto.

To: Naruto-kun

From: Hinata

Today was fun. Tomorrow will be even better.

I miss you.

xoxoxo

Shikamaru couldn't sleep.

For someone who shared the relative sleep habits of a newborn, this was nothing less than a calamity.

Naruto and Kiba passed out hours ago in front of a Lifetime movie, and Sasuke still hadn't returned from wherever he'd disappeared to, leaving Shikamaru alone with his thoughts, his aggravation, and most of all, the steaming guilt that threatened to choke him to death.

What happened with Temari was unexpected, but it happened nonetheless.

She stirred something within him, something that had lain dormant since the last time they'd seen each other months and months prior. Normally he was detached and uninterested in his surroundings, and preferred to spend his time either sleeping or lounging around with no responsibilities or concerns whatsoever.

But this situation with himself, Temari, and Ino was fast becoming an enormous problem.

The similarities between the two girls were endless, and so were the differences. Temari was two years older than he and Ino, but she and Ino had the same temperament, the same temper and the same horrible, near-bipolar attitude. They were both loud and blonde and demanding, beautiful and terrible in equal measure, and neither one of them anywhere close to the plain, mild-mannered woman he'd always imagined ending up with.

So which did he choose?

Realism and fatalism both told him that it would be no choice at all. Ino would hear of his sexual congregation with Temari and curse him straight to hell.

He didn't have to tell her, of course. He could keep it a secret and when they caught up to the girls, she would be none the wiser. It could remain a blip on his past that he would force himself to forget, and Ino would never find out about it. Temari didn't seem like the kind of girl who would kiss and tell, for the sole purpose of breaking the relationship that was starting to bloom between he and Ino.

But the question remained.

Did he even _want_ that relationship?

He was sure he had feelings for Ino, feelings that extended far beyond the scope of friendship. He was attracted to her to be sure, but that was a shaky bit of evidence; Ino was a pretty girl, extravagantly, obnoxiously beautiful with a body that compelled attraction from the opposite sex. Most guys _were_ attracted to her. He'd caught Kiba and even Naruto staring from time to time.

He was protective of her. He wanted her to be safe and happy, even if he enacted a carefree, detached attitude around her. She was loud and obnoxious, but he cared for her deeply.

Then there was Temari.

She was like Ino in nearly every way, except perhaps to a higher, more in-your-face degree. She was bold, unafraid to speak her mind and take charge, bluntly, painfully honest and a slavedriver at the same time. Beautiful in her own way, and able to use her looks to her advantage.

It didn't hurt that the sex was amazing, either.

She awoke within him some type of feral, untamed passion that no one would believe him capable of possessing, least of all himself. He wasn't sure if he loved or hated her for that, and that led to his current dilemma.

What the hell was he supposed to do now?

He rolled over and tried to get comfortable, but knew that sleep would be a long time coming, leaving him with nothing to do but weigh the options in his head. He was currently on a cross-country stalking hunt for a loud, aggravating blonde...but he couldn't shake his thoughts off the other loud, aggravating blonde he'd left six hours away.

His ruminations were interrupted with the return of Sasuke.

The door swung open with a deafening bang. Naruto and Kiba slept on, while Shikamaru opened one lazy eye to take note of Sasuke stumbling inside, nearly losing his balance as he gripped the doorframe for support. He was drunk, Shikamaru noticed, with raised eyebrows. He'd never seen Sasuke get really, truly drunk like this before, to the point where he couldn't control himself.

Had Kiba's challenge upset him that much?

Apparently so. Sasuke slammed the door shut behind him and staggered to the bed he'd claimed by the window. Without so much as removing his soaking wet hoodie, he collapsed onto the mattress. He was asleep within seconds.

Shikamaru did not envy him the headache he would surely wake to.

But, he realized realistically, he did not envy himself much right now either.

An IQ of over 200, and he did not have a single idea as to what to do next.


	19. Frisbees, Friends, and Unseen Sandals

The girls slept in the next day, and Ino took her time getting ready.

Whenever she felt down, she would put all of her effort into her appearance. Looking great and feeling great usually went hand in hand, and if she was confident in how she looked, maybe that would inspire a bit of confidence in how she was feeling.

Sakura was an immense help, even if she seemed a bit distracted after the movie. They had returned to the hotel and proceeded to drown themselves in an obscene amount of vodka and VitaminWater, and they fell asleep in the same bed, Ino sprawled at the foot while Sakura was slouched over the side.

Hinata seemed to be in much better spirits; the haircut was a huge success, and Ino admired not only the physical transformation, but the emotional one as well. It was impossible not to desire that same confidence.

And Ino was many things, but "Debbie Downer" was not one of them.

She would not allow a boy to ruin this perfect summer. Not even Shikamaru.

A luxurious bubble bath, an apricot facial scrub, and her favorite ceramic straightener had her smiling again in no time. She squeezed herself into a tiny purple tank top with lace trim and a white denim miniskirt, applied a fine coat of makeup that made her lips pop, and slipped into her favorite jeweled sandals. A quick once-over in the mirror confirmed that she looked stunning, and her previous bad mood disintegrated into nothing.

Sakura and Hinata were waiting for her. Hinata looked the perfect mixture of edgy and adorable, with her spunky short hair, a local band T-shirt and ripped denim shorts. And Sakura looked as infuriatingly pretty as ever. Ino almost resented her best friend for her effortless beauty; she had slipped into a cropped top that showed off her perfect figure and a pair of white denim shorts and flipflops.

Both of them were grinning.

"We figured out what to do today," Sakura said.

"Fill me in, Forehead. What's on the agenda?"

"Lunch downtown. Followed by a trip to the nail salon, that little cute one near the hair salon Hinata got her hair done at yesterday?"

"Okay, and...?"

Here Hinata and Sakura exchanged secretive smirks that made Ino uneasy.

"That's a surprise," Sakura replied coolly. "Now grab your shit and take your hot little ass into that car."

Ino had a feeling that the heinous smirks on her friends' faces were prophetic of absolutely nothing good.

xoxoxo

Kiba stood outside the laser tag arena with his phone in his hand.

Not for the first time, he wondered if he was doing the right thing.

Like anyone else with eyes, he had seen that there was mutual attraction between Sasuke and Sakura. She was the only girl that the stoic, arrogant Uchiha had ever glanced twice at. They were very close friends and to hear that they hooked up would surprise no one.

Was he overstepping his boundaries here?

He played back the recording for the third or fourth time, listened to Sasuke's dark voice coldly deny any feelings for Sakura, and his resolve was strengthened. If Uchiha couldn't even be man enough to admit that he liked the girl in the first place, it was just one more sign that he didn't deserve her at all.

Kiba's eyes hardened as he stared out into the rain. Sakura was a girl who deserved nothing less than the best; she needed a man who would not be so afraid to let her know that she was loved and special. Kiba could do that. Kiba could make her laugh and happy and never regret choosing him. He knew he could, if she would only give him a chance.

The guys were inside, choosing their guns and strapping on their chest targets. Even sullen Sasuke had agreed to play a few rounds; after days of traveling with one another, they were all eager to blow off some steam. Naruto's suggestion to play laser tag, at first dismissed as idiotic, was proving to be the best idea any of them had had recently.

Kiba remained outside for a few minutes longer. His thoughts wandered back to that balmy spring day, when he realized he'd fallen for his next door neighbor...and fallen hard.

_Akamaru caught the Frisbee in his mouth and barked happily at his success._

_"All right, Akamaru!" Kiba cried. "Bring it here, boy!"_

_The enormous white dog jogged over to his master to return the toy; Kiba scratched his ears in congratulations before hurling the Frisbee again, with all his might. Unfortunately, it sailed over the fence dividing the Inuzuka's property from the Haruno's._

_"OW!" a decidedly feminine voice shrieked._

_"Shit," Kiba muttered. Akamaru at his heels, he jumped up onto the trash cans near the fence so he could see over it. "Oh, man, Sakura, I'm sorry!"_

_Haruno Sakura was lying in a crumpled heap in her driveway, a nasty-looking bump on her forehead made by Kiba's runaway Frisbee. The book she had been peacefully reading on her back porch was sprawled broken-spine beside her. She sat up, shook her short pink hair out of her face, and glared at him in reproach._

_He couldn't help it; he started to laugh. She looked so ridiculous, normally so put-together and presentable. A reluctant smile split her face, and eventually she started laughing, too._

_"Next time be a little more careful," she chastised half-heartedly. She grabbed the yellow Frisbee that had beaned her so ruthlessly and tossed it neatly back over the fence, directly into a happy Akamaru's waiting mouth._

_Kiba grinned and jumped the fence, landing smoothly in the Harunos' yard. He bent down and offered his hand to Sakura, who took it and let him lift her to her feet._

_"Let me see that bump," he said. He pushed her down onto the white rocking chair beneath the cherry blossom tree and knelt to examine the wound. "Well, I didn't draw blood, at least. Does it hurt?"_

_"Not that much. But you couldn't have picked a place BESIDES my massive forehead to aim for?"_

_He laughed. "Your forehead's not massive. It might be until the swelling goes down, but..."_

_"Oh, shut up!" Sakura brushed him off with amusement in her eyes. Kiba loved that. He loved a girl who could laugh at herself. "This is all your fault. I'm gonna have a big nasty bruise on my head all week. Then the teachers are going to think my parents are beating me or something, report them to CPS, I'll be relocated to a foster home, and..."_

_"Quiet, Haruno. I've got no time for your dramatics, I have a very busy day ahead of me."_

_"Frisbee with Akamaru for the next four hours, followed by afternoon nap with Akamaru, followed by dinner with Akamaru, followed by hours of television with Akamaru, followed by bedtime with Akamaru," she guessed._

_He laughed again. "I'm getting predictable, aren't I?"_

_"Only a lot!"_

_Kiba took a moment to observe her. Her hair was cut much shorter than he was used to, brushing her shoulders; she tucked a stray side bang behind her ear as she giggled. She didn't wear any makeup, and her clothes were simple, a Konoha High School hoodie and a pair of cotton shorts._

_Kiba thought she was gorgeous._

_Behind him, Akamaru whined at being neglected, and Kiba rolled his eyes._

_"Aw, Akamaru's lonely," Sakura noted. She hopped up from the rocking chair and, with a dancer's grace, pulled herself up over the wooden fence and landed elegantly back in Kiba's massive yard. Kiba's jaw nearly dropped at her effortless display of athletics, but he refrained. Not wanting to be outdone by a girl, he did the same thing, and found Sakura laughing as she rubbed a gleeful Akamaru's stomach._

_"He's so big, but he's still such a baby," she cooed, while Akamaru barked in joy at the attention. Kiba watched almost hungrily at the sight. Most girls were terrified of a gigantic dog like Akamaru, regardless of his sweet, friendly nature. Sakura jumped a fence and rushed to play with him._

_She'd won Akamaru's heart that day._

_And Kiba's._

It hadn't been a significant moment by any stretch of the imagination, now that he reflected on it. Just a warm spring day, a funny accident, and an afternoon spent throwing a Frisbee to his best friend with the girl he liked. But it was important to him nonetheless; several weeks after that, the family dog grooming business had required the Inuzuka family to relocate to a much larger property on the other side of town.

He smiled as he remembered the way she laughed, the way she looked with the cherry blossom tree behind her, the petals the same color as her choppy hair.

He would make sure she smiled like that every day, for the rest of her life.

Even if it meant hurting her with the recording of Sasuke, bluntly stating that he had no feelings for her. Sometimes, the ends justified the means. Surely after he revealed Sasuke's real take on the situation, Sakura would realize that she deserved much better.

"Oi, Inuzuka!" Naruto shouted from inside. "Quit lolly-gagging outside, we got a game to play!"

"Coming, asshole!" Kiba shouted in return. With that, he slipped his phone (and insurance policy) back into his pocket and went inside to claim his gun. He needed to blow off some steam. And as he looked at Sasuke, his one-time friend and current rival, he mused with dark amusement that Pretty Boy's spiky head would make a beautiful target.

xoxoxo

"Laser tag?" Ino snapped. "Are you kidding me? Look how I'm dressed!"

"Tough titty, Ino-pig," Sakura sang as she paid for her game from the redheaded attendant. "We can't do anything outdoors right now because of the rain, and this is our best bet. Besides, laser tag looks fun as shit."

"You've never even _played _before?"

"No, but how hard could it be? It's like...Machiavelli meets arcade games."

"You and your Machiavelli," Ino spat scornfully. "This is _such _a waste of an outfit, Forehead! It's dark in there, no one can even see how cute these fucking sandals are! I didn't buy sandals so that _no one could ever see them!_"

"Come on, Ino," Hinata said coaxingly. She grabbed her friend's arm and led her towards the armory, a small room full of laser guns, masks, and targets they would need before entering the laser arena. "It could be f-fun. Besides, after this, we can g-go to a bar or something. Right, S-Sakura?"

"Right you are, Hinata-chan." Sakura had already slipped into a chest target and was checking the straps at her sides. She attached the night-vision mask over her eyes and grabbed the biggest, meanest gun off the wall and faced her friends with an excited smile. "Now come on, Ino-pig. Before I upload that picture of you I sent to Sasuke-kun to Facebook."

Ino's blue eyes went glacial in threat.

"Unless you know how badly I'm going to beat you, of course. Then you can back out."

"Oh it is so _on,_ Billboard Brow!"

Ino huffed as she put on her armor as well, resigned to her fate, as their old friend Neji would say. But damn it, if she had to play this stupid game, she was going to look absolutely _fabulous_ doing it.

**note..** Hello, again! Thank you very much for your feedback so far. I appreciate hearing your suggestions, criticisms, and encouragement so much. I hope you are enjoying my story as much as I'm enjoying writing it. :) Questions, comments, concerns, please leave a review and let me know what I can do to improve. Thanks so much for the support. I love you! xoxo Daisy


	20. In The Trenches

"Who let the damn _dobe_ pick the names?" Sasuke snapped.

They were in the waiting area, suited up and ready for action, and the enormous flat screen hanging on the wall showed the twenty competitors who would be entering the arena for the first of a three-round laser bloodbath.

Naruto's names were:

Pretty Boy Asshole (Sasuke).

Lazy Asshole (Shikamaru).

Asshole Asshole (Kiba).

And Ramen King. (Duh.)

Naruto laughed good-naturedly, his and the others' faces almost completely hidden by the masks they wore.

"I think they're pretty accurate!" he snickered, and he was glad for the mask when it partially absorbed the blow Sasuke launched at the back of his head. "Geez, Teme, save it for the arena! The more people you shoot, the more points you get. Whoever loses has to buy dinner for the rest of us."

"You're gonna be the loser, Ramen Asshole," Kiba sniped.

"TAKE THAT BACK, DATTEBAYO! DON'T YOU EVER USE 'RAMEN' AND 'ASSHOLE' IN THE SAME SENTENCE!"

"Keep your voice down, idiot," Shikamaru drawled. "You're drawing attention to us. We'll be the first ones they gun for."

The other competitors, waiting in the same room for the doors to open to the arena, were staring at the hooligans contemptuously through their big black masks. It was impossible to make out anyone's appearance, but they had definitely painted giant targets on their backs with their rabblerousing.

Naruto grinned. That made everything all the more interesting. No way was he gonna be the boring dick who found a nice hidden corner to snipe people from. Nope. He was going to throw himself into the action and have a romping good time.

"All right, everyone," the attendant called, gathering everyone's attention. "To explain: each one of you is wearing a harness, on which are four targets: the chest, back, and both shoulders. If you score a hit, then your victim's gun will shut down for five seconds. Whoever gets the most hits in this fifteen-minute starter round is the winner, and at the end, whoever has the most hits over all three rounds gets a free meal.

"Okay, no running, jumping, swearing..."

On and on the list went, while Naruto was practically urinating with excitement and impatience. Fuck those rules and damn them right down to hell, what was the fun in this if you couldn't run, jump, and cuss?

"When the doors open, you will have ten seconds to scatter and plan your offensive. Play smart!"

The cheery attendant smiled brightly, his teeth illuminated eerily in the black light of the waiting area, and opened the doors.

Naruto broke three rules crossing the threshold.

"FUCK YEAH!" he bellowed, leaping into the room first and taking off at a sprint into the darkness to scour the battlefield.

Ame might have been a shitty, rainy town, but they definitely knew how to build a kick-ass laser tag arena. It was three stories high, lit only by blacklights and neon green lightbulbs that cast everything in a bizarre-colored glow. Artificial fog pumped out of smoke machines and made an easy cloud cover should he choose to drop onto his stomach, and fight like trench warfare.

Yeah, there was no way he was going to lose this.

He darted up the nearest ramp he could find, ahead of the other competitors, and waited for the official countdown before his gun would activate, and he could blow his competition to laser hell.

"I'm up here, Dr. Pink!" a shrill voice shrieked behind him, and Naruto was nearly thrown off the ledge he was perched on by someone running into him.

"Oh! E-Excuse me!" the girl stammered. Her face was hidden by a mask, but he could see that she had short, choppy dark hair and was probably the same size as Hinata-chan.

"No problem, 'ttebayo!" Naruto replied goodnaturedly. "Good luck!"

The girl gasped and all but staggered backwards. Wondering what her deal was, he shrugged and refocused his attention to the impending bloodbath.

"FIVE...FOUR...THREE...TWO...ONE...BEGIN!"

And all hell broke loose.

xoxoxo

Hinata was practically hyperventilating as she sprinted right back down the ramp she had just scaled.

_That was Naruto-kun!_ she thought in a complete panic. _I know it, I know it was, he said 'ttebayo!' What do I do, what do I do? He obviously didn't recognize me...do they even know we're here? Or was this just some giant coincidence?_

She needed to find Ino and Sakura and tell them, before the other boys figured out what she did: they were all in the same damn room!

Sakura's hair was normally a dead giveaway, but with the greenish, purplish hue of the blacklit laser arena, it was almost impossible to identify anyone's hair color, even a shade as unique as petal pink. All around her, red lasers shined through the smoke, loud vibrations and angry curses indicating when one found its mark. She hadn't so much as fired a shot yet, the naked panic and peculiar thrill rushing through her all the adrenaline rush she would ever need. Hoping to every God there was that she didn't pass out from all this excitement, she shouted out her friends' codenames.

"DR. PINK! HOTTEST FUCKING BITCH EVER!"

Ino would get no points for catchiness, and a thousand points for cockiness.

"DR. PINK REPORT, OVER AND OUT!" Sakura's voice shouted back from a few yards away. She was running and sounded exhilarated. "Aha, got you, bitch, SHANNARO! WHAT'S YOUR TWENTY, HINA BANINA?"

"CODE RED!" yelled Hinata. "_CODE RED! FIND HOTTEST FUCKING BITCH EVER!_"

"DID SOMEONE CALL FOR ME?" Ino's voice sounded from high up above. "Oh, fuck you, you piece of shit, who are _you_ to shoot a girl when her back is turned?"

"CODE. RED. HOTTEST FUCKING BITCH EVER!" Hinata cried. "GET DOWN HERE!"

Dr. Pink, AKA Sakura, had no idea what 'Code Red' meant, but she ran towards Hinata anyway, vaulting over a competitor who attempted to snipe the target on her left shoulder and catching him in the chest instead. With a victorious yell and a battlecry of, "_Playtime is over!," _she sprinted towards the direction of Hinata's distress call.

"WHAT THE FUCK DOES CODE RED MEAN?" Ino shouted from the upper levels.

"IT MEANS WE NEED TO EVACUATE!" Hinata screamed.

Sakura appeared in front of Hinata. "Hinata, this is _war,_ what do you mean, we need to evacuate?"

"Don't say my n-name out loud!" Hinata hissed. She grabbed Sakura by the elbow and tugged her behind a column. "_The boys are here!_"

"What? I can't hear you!"

It was too loud. Everyone was shouting and stomping and running. Hinata's naturally quiet voice couldn't carry well, even speaking right into Sakura's ear.

"I said...the boys are here!"

"What?"

"_THE BOYS ARE HERE!"_ Hinata finally exploded.

"I HEARD YOU!" Sakura yelled. "JESUS CHRIST, WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO?"

At that precise moment, Ino let out a piercing scream from the upper tiers. "NO! DAMN IT, FOREHEAD, WE'VE GOT COMPANY! GET YOUR PAWS _OFF _ME, YOU FILTHY, MANGY RAT BASTARD! FOREHEAD! HINATAAAAA!"

"Shit!" Sakura squealed. "They got _Ino!_"

"What do we do?" wailed Hinata as lasers whizzed by her.

"No child left behind! I won't leave my fellow man in the trenches to be taken prisoner of war!" With that brave statement, Sakura pushed Hinata back behind the column. "Stay away, stay alive!" she advised, before tearing off for the upper level. "I'LL SAVE YOU, HOTTEST FUCKING BITCH EVER!"

Hinata was hyperventilating, torn between the exhilaration of a confrontation between the boys and them, and worry that Sakura might be taking the whole concept of battle way too seriously. She crouched down in her hiding spot, hands over her head, praying that her friends would find her before the boys did.

No such luck.

"Well lookee what we got here," a dark voice muttered from behind.

Shaking, paralyzed with fear, Hinata turned around slowly. "K-Ki..."

And that was all she said.

xoxoxo

Sakura sprinted up the two levels to the top tier, where Ino had screamed from.

If the boys snatched them here, it was all over.

But like hell would she let her best friend fall into enemy hands. Pink hair streaming behind her like a banner, she continued to scream war-related epithets at anyone in her path.

"_IT ALL ENDS HERE!"_ she roared. "_SAY YOUR PRAYERS!_"

She might have gotten a tad carried away, but this was fucking battle, bitch. And she had to save her most trusted ally, before she was captured by the smelly creep stalkers who'd been following them for four days and hundreds of miles. To say that she was having the time of her life was an understatement, but if the boys ended the game so early...

She couldn't let that happen. First and foremost, because she needed to put off the inevitable confrontation between Shikamaru and Ino as long as she could, and secondly, because there was no way she could grant Sasuke the satisfaction of such a swift victory. She would never live it down, his gloating and his arrogant smirk and the sexy way one corner of his mouth would lift higher than the other, and the way the muscles would ripple in his arms when he folded them oh-so-cockily over his sculpted chest, and...

Heat exploded in her stomach that had nothing to do with the stifling humidity of the smoky arena. Forcing away the lust that was always bubbling at the surface of her Sasuke thoughts, she refocused her attention on her mission.

"HOTTEST FUCKING BITCH EVER!" she screamed. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

"OVER HERE, DR. PINK!" Ino's voice was getting louder, which meant she was getting closer. "BE CAREFUL! PRETTY BOY ASSHOLE'S COMING FOR YOU!"

A laser beam whizzed by Sakura's arm, narrowly missing her shoulder. With a cry of purely feminine rage, she bellowed, "NOT TODAY NOT EVER!" and took off like a shot for Ino.

'Pretty Boy Asshole' could only mean one person. Giddiness and horror at seeing Uchiha Sasuke filled her in equal measure. This was just so damn _fun..._

"HARUNO!" a deep, dark voice shouted from behind her.

She squealed, _squealed_ in delight and terror, with all the glee of a child being chased by an indulgent parent, and ducked a quick left, hoping to lead Sasuke away from Ino to give her a chance to flee. She heard him running after her, and felt her armor vibrate, indicating he'd sniped her right shoulder target and her gun went dead in her hands.

"SASUKE YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" she yelled over her shoulder, and she let out a shriek when she felt his fingers brush against her hair. He was so, so _close..._if he caught her, it was all over, she would never survive, he would scold her and yell at her until her heart gave out and she died, died, died on the floor of this smoky, blacklit arena...

Thinking quickly (of anything but the idea of Sasuke running his hands through her hair, because that particular thought was too distracting and delicious to focus on at the moment), Sakura darted to the right, narrowly missing Sasuke's furious grab, and took off down a different path.

"FOREHEAD!" bellowed Ino, the sound deafening. "HELP ME! FUCKING RAMEN ASSHOLE'S GOT ME CORNERED!"

Ramen Asshole?

Naruto.

"_Naruto you little smear, I'm going to rip your intestines out through your dick and strangle you with them!"_ Sakura promised, scaling a rope ladder in two seconds and landing on the same platform as Ino and Naruto.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed. His face was hidden by the mask, but his spiky hair was a dead giveaway. He was pointing his gun at Ino, and fired every ten seconds to keep her docile; she was trapped between him and the wall, and every time she tried to shoot her way out, Naruto would shoot her first to deactivate her gun.

"Forehead you came!" cried Ino in ecstasy, as Sakura shot Naruto directly in the chest.

"AWW, SAKURA-CHAN! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"

Sakura snatched Ino by the wrist. "Come on!" she cried. "Before Sasuke-kun catches...ARGH! SASUKE-KUN!"

Two strong arms wrapped themselves securely around her from behind, pinning her arms to her sides and lifting her clear off the floor.

"Caught you, you little shit," his deep voice rumbled in her ear. Extreme fear coupled with extreme attraction ripped through her. She thanked every possible deity that the darkness and fogginess of the arena concealed the raging blush that bloomed on her cheeks.

She also prayed for forgiveness for what she was about to do.

"Ino save yourself!" she insisted.

Ino had one jeweled sandal on the ladder and was preparing to climb down to safety. "I can't leave you behind, you're my best friend!"

Okay, maybe Sakura wasn't the only one taking this battle way too seriously, but there was no time to dwell on that now.

"INO! Don't let my sacrifice be in vain! Remember me, remember me always!"

Ino burst out laughing, she couldn't help it. "Okay, Forehead!" she cried, sliding down the ladder as Naruto's gun reactivated.

Now, trapped on the platform with Naruto and Sasuke, but satisfied that Ino had made it out in time, Sakura could enact her diabolical retaliation.

"Nice work, Sasuke-kun!" she congratulated, and the muscled arms pinning her in place tightened. "You did it! But unfortunately...I'm not ready to go back home, so...I'm really, _really_ sorry about this, you guys!"

"Sorry about wha-" Naruto began to ask, but he was cut off.

Sakura swung her leg around and caught him in the side. With a yell, he was thrown to the floor and out of the way as she drove her heel into Sasuke's foot.

"You _fucking..._" he snarled, releasing her on instinct, and that was all the out she needed. She fired two shots, striking both he and Naruto directly in the chest, and jumped down the ladder after Ino.

Giggling like a crazy person, she caught up to Ino, who was making a mad dash for the exit. So thrilled was she with her quick thinking that she forgot one very important thing.

"_Oh shit fucking shitfuck,_" she hissed. "HINA BANINA!"


	21. Mexican Standoff

Sakura was a hundred pounds soaking wet, but it felt like a cement truck had run over Sasuke's foot. It was _throbbing._

He gritted his teeth. That was _twice_ now that she had emasculated him in so violent and unforgivable a way, but he would give her credit: the little hellion was much stronger and resourceful than she looked. He'd had her trapped in his own arms and she managed to find a way not only to escape, but to save the Yamanaka migraine as well, whom they'd been hoping to take hostage.

The little _nightmare._

She was going to pay. She was going to pay a thousand times over. She was going to heal his damn foot, first of all. She was going to _apologize_ on her fucking _knees_ for dragging him around like a lovesick puppy. She was going to...

"I GOT ONE!" Kiba's voice called from below.

Sasuke ignored the agony in his foot and peered over the side of the rafter, lifting his face mask to examine what Kiba was talking about.

Sure enough, in his arms was an unconscious girl, face mask still on, short black hair spilling over her shoulders.

"Who the hell is that?" Naruto demanded. "That's not one of our girls, Kiba, put that one back where you found it! You don't know where it's been!"

"It's Hinata, you dolt," Shikamaru drawled. He stepped out from behind his hiding place in the uppermost corner, where he'd been chainsmoking, counting on the fog machines to camouflage the smoke from his cigarettes. "She cut her hair."

The four boys met on the bottom floor, and Naruto gently removed the girl's face mask to reveal an unconscious Hinata, as Shikamaru had predicted.

"YOU KNOCKED HER OUT, YOU PSYCHO?" Naruto yelled, aghast.

"No, you moron!" Kiba snapped. "She saw me behind her and passed out, you know how she gets! So what do we do with her?"

"We take her with us," Shikamaru replied as though it were obvious. "They had Ino for a minute, but Sakura came and got her away." Sasuke shot him an absolutely filthy look, but could say nothing in his defense. The ache in his foot humbled him somewhat. "But if we take Hinata with us, Sakura and Ino will have no choice but to come for her."

"This is kidnapping, you know," Sasuke mumbled, but in his heart he knew it was probably their only option at this point.

"This is war," Kiba corrected. "All's fair, remember?"

"Where's the emergency exit?" Naruto asked. "We can't just carry her out the way we came in...you know Sakura and Ino. They'll tell the workers here that we're stalking them and trying to kidnap one of them. We'll be right back in jail!"

Naruto was sometimes (on the rarest occasions) unquestionably wise. Sasuke's sharp eyes immediately pinpointed the glowing red EXIT sign over one of the doors, one that would surely sound an emergency alarm if shoved open, but right now, their best bet to flee undetected.

"There," he indicated. "Hurry up, while everyone's heading back to the waiting area, they're about to start Round 2."

With that, they stripped off their targets and guns and threw them on the floor, Kiba hurled Hinata onto his back and they took off like bandits for the emergency exit.

xoxoxo

The girls stayed long enough to learn three things:

1) Sakura was the overall high scorer for Round 1 of Ame City Laser World.

2) Jeweled sandals gave you blisters if you wore them during a high-stakes battle of laser tag.

and 3) The boys had made off with Hinata.

"You know that you can do 20 to life for kidnapping?" Ino remarked as they stalked dejectedly back to their hotel room to figure out their next option. They were huddled beneath an umbrella and their shoulders were slouched at their failure to keep all of their members present and accounted for.

God only knew what kind of torture the boys had in store for the gentlest, mildest member of their flighty little group.

Naruto would perhaps forcefeed her packages of instant ramen until she threw up.

Kiba would fart in her vicinity until she threw up.

Shikamaru would be so boring and useless that she would throw up.

And Sasuke would probably just decapitate her in a fit of misplaced anger at his inability to catch the slippery Sakura.

Each scenario was more horrifying than the last.

"They're gonna interrogate her for information on our whereabouts," Sakura sighed.

"You think she'll cave? Tell 'em where we're staying?"

"It's hard to say. I hope that Fancy New Hyuuga comes with a diamond spine. But if Naruto whipped out his dirty ass socks...well, to put it this way, if I had any government secrets, I'd spill 'em."

The girls both sighed in defeat.

"So what do we do now?" Ino wondered as they returned to their little hotel, tired and hungry and out of ideas.

Sakura sat on the edge of the mattress with her iPhone in her hand. "We wait for Sasuke-kun to call us with a list of demands," she groaned. "Oh, God, he's going to be fucking _dreadful_..."

Ino had to hand it to Sakura; she knew Sasuke pretty well. Not five minutes later did Sakura's phone ring; she exchanged a heavy glance with Ino. "Don't ever let him see us sweat," she said sternly, before answering.

"You could do serious time for this, Sasuke-kun."

He chuckled on the other end. She could just picture the smug look on his face, and the thought made her want to kiss him and strangle him in equal measure, and in that order as well.

"I win."

"Nope. The rules weren't to catch _one_ of us. You have to catch _all_ of us. Game's still on."

"Not quite. Your so-called friend spilled your location immediately."

"Liar!" Sakura hissed. "Hinata-chan would NEVER betray us!"

"Hn. Wrong."

"Let me hear her voice, you ape! Hinata-chan? Are you there? Are you alive?"

"Sakura-chan I'm so so sorry, I didn't mean to, but Naruto pulled his s-socks off, and I couldn't...the smell overcame me! It felt like...like all the happiness had drained out of the world and I would never s-smile again!" Hinata's voice was frantic and full of despair.

"It's all right!" Sakura said quickly. "We understand! Stay alive, Hinata!"

Sasuke put the phone up to his ear again. "Now here's what's gonna happen, Haruno, and I'm only gonna tell you this once. You're gonna meet us out front the hotel, and we'll give your friend back to you."

"So what's the catch, you dementor?"

"Watch your mouth," he advised, unable to conceal the amusement in his tone. Sakura really had some of the worst insults in the world at her disposal. "We've got a list here, see. Demands."

"You unimaginable creepass. Like what?"

"You'll see. Be out front in twenty minutes. Or your friend gets it."

"Gets what?" Sakura demanded.

"Shut up, Sakura, it's an expression. Don't be late."

The line clicked dead, and Sakura looked at Ino with dread.

They were now at the mercy of four guys, who in the past few days, had been dragged across the country practically against their will, played for fools, humiliated, disgraced, _arrested,_ and physically abused...all because of them.

They were never going to survive the retaliation.

xoxoxo

Sasuke couldn't fight the grin on his face.

This was going to be so _sweet._

Sakura had singlehandedly made a fool of him this whole week. She succeeded in taking his pristine reputation as the All-Star athlete, the golden boy, the kind of otherworldly deity most mortals aspired to emulate, and torn it to shreds with her tiny pink-painted nails. He now had a _record_ because of her whimsicalities and refusal to think things through.

Well, she was about to get what was coming to her, and tenfold.

He leaned casually up against his car, hands shoved in his pockets, smirk in place. Kiba, Naruto, and Shikamaru were inside, Kiba guarding the prisoner, Naruto flirting with the prisoner, and Shikamaru ignoring the prisoner, and everyone else for that matter. Normally he wouldn't be so cautious, but as it was, Hinata was their only bargaining chip at this point. Not to mention, Sakura was crafty and devilishly resourceful, like a witch. He couldn't afford to let his guard down around her.

He checked quickly on the people crammed into his Jetta. Sandwiched in the backseat between Kiba and Naruto, Hinata glowed a violent red with nerves, and although she'd awakened from her dead faint, she still looked fragile and as frazzled as always. Satisfied, Sasuke redirected his attention to the front door, and his smirk widened when he saw two girls emerge from the foyer of the little hotel looking positively miserable.

Sakura was wearing a tiny pair of shorts and a cropped top, revealing more skin than he would have preferred anyone seeing (besides himself, of course. Uchihas were notorious for their pure thoughts about even the most appealing women. Or so he often told himself, to justify the hours a week he would lose to lusting over his pink-haired migraine of a friend.) That would have to be added to his list of demands...a complete overhaul of her skimpy little wardrobe.

She approached him cautiously, suspiciously, and also with a hint of resignation, as though she knew she had this coming. Sakura was not first in their class for nothing.

Then she paused, and muttered something to Ino beside her. Ino looked anxious, but nodded once, curtly, and began backing away.

"I'll meet you in the middle," Sakura called to him. "_Alone,_ you future convict!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Here she was, about to have her proverbial ass handed to her by the fire she was playing with, and she was _still_ making demands? Exactly who did she think she was dealing with?

Weighing his options, though, he realized he had to agree, if only to save what little of his pride remained. It wouldn't do to have Sakura thinking that he was intimidated by her, and he _wasn't,_ he reminded himself forcefully. Who would ever fear _her?_ Five foot nothing, skinny as a rail, and lurid pink fairy hair? She looked about as ferocious as a kitten.

He mumbled a quick, "Wait here," to his friends (and Hinata), before kicking off from his car and walking towards Sakura with casual, almost lazy strides. She kept her arms folded across her chest, in an almost defensive gesture, and he was amused at the contrasting fire that flamed in her stormy green eyes. He recognized that look. She was thinking, and thinking quickly.

A twinge of unease erupted in his stomach that he completely ignored.

They stopped when they were five feet apart, and Sakura met his gaze as fiercely as if they were the same height, and he didn't tower over her by a full head. He doubted he'd be surprised if a tumbleweed blew between them, it felt that much like a wild west standoff between the sheriff (Sasuke) and the outlaw (Sakura.)

Or maybe it was the other way around. He _did_ have a hostage locked up in his car.

Sakura seemed to be thinking along the same lines, if her suddenly chilly grin was any indication. Forcing himself not to think the worst, he addressed her calmly.

"You played well," he said coolly. "But it's over now."

"Wrong, Sasuke-kun. It's _far _from over. What we have here is a good old-fashioned Mexican Stand-off."

"Hn. Not a chance, Haruno. For a Mexican Stand-off, you'd need to have something we want as much as you want what we have."

Sakura's grin widened, and Sasuke reasoned that a girl as uncommonly pretty as she was should not be able to be so devious. "Oh, but we do. See, back behind me, Ino has dialed the Ame Police Department and is one stroke away from pressing 'Call.' Then, we will inform them that a dear friend of ours, Hyuuga Hinata, has been kidnapped by strange boys who have been stalking us on our innocent crosscountry road trip, ever since our departure from Konoha on June 14th, 2012." Her eyes flashed menacingly as his narrowed.

"You're bluffing," he said coldly.

"I'm not. We already got you assholes arrested once, what's to stop us from doing it again?"

"You wouldn't survive to tell the tale," Sasuke growled, taking a step towards her, but she quickly danced back out of his reach with a tinkling laugh.

"Oh, look at the bright side, Sasuke-kun! You'll be so popular in prison!"

The glare he shot her promised _murder,_ and she laughed again at how easily he was ruffled.

"Oh, just relax, Sasuke-kun," she sighed finally, realizing that he did not find her nearly as funny as she found herself. She put her hands on her hips (doing little more than drawing his attention to them, and how neatly they filled out her shorts) and tossed her long pink hair over her shoulder. "We're not gonna call the police, if you let Hinata go. Matter of fact, we can call a temporary truce right now, if you want."

"Explain," he demanded.

"Well, the game's still on, obviously. Just for tonight, though, we'll hang out with you guys like normal. All of us together. We can grab dinner and hang out at the hotel, or go somewhere and fuck shit up like always, whatever. A one-night truce before tomorrow, when the game's back on and you'll go back to chasing us uselessly because we're way too smart for you."

"Tch. Sounds like a copout from someone whose back's up against the wall."

Sakura did not deny the charges against her; indeed, this idea was nothing more than a desperate, last-ditch attempt to reclaim their kidnapped comrade and stall for time while she came up with a better idea. She smiled nonetheless.

"Maybe so, but admit it, Sasuke-kun. You're having as much fun as I am."

Sasuke's eyes darkened as he thought of Kiba's challenge the night before. But besides that small hiccup (that he privately vowed to annihilate at the earliest possible convenience), he couldn't lie to himself that this trip was definitely a good time. Stints in jail and broken air conditioners aside, of course.

"Fine," he bit out. The idea of spending time with Sakura where she _wasn't_ trying to run away from him was a draw in and of itself, not that he'd ever be telling _her_ something like that. "One night. But we're going to make some _rules first,_ you slippery little troll."

"Don't call me a troll, you maggoty crotch pheasant," she hissed back.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and extended his hand, trusting that Sakura wasn't pathetic enough to back out of an official deal, handshake and all. She met his gaze with something unreadable in her own, before flushing a cute shade of pink and sliding her hand into his. They shook on it, and Sakura nodded firmly.

"All right. Come on inside, all of you kidnappers. Let's find somewhere to eat."

"Fine. But you're sticking with me." She blushed at the possessiveness in his tone before he clarified. "I'm not letting you sneak off on your own."

Sasuke gestured to the guys, who piled out of the Jetta dragging a mortified Hinata behind them. Leisurely, all seven of them returned to the hotel as Sakura explained the temporary stalemate she and Sasuke had agreed to. Sasuke was satisfied with this armistice, even as he saw a look of unease pass over Sakura's face. Frowning, he followed her nervous gaze as it drifted between Ino and an anxious-looking Shikamaru.

His eyes closed.

This was going to be much more troublesome than he expected.


	22. Especially Thunderous Thighs

Hinata was almost hyperventilating, whether from fear or happiness, she couldn't tell. All she knew was that she was locked up inside Sasuke's Jetta with the rest of the boys, while Sasuke himself was arguing with Sakura in the middle of the hotel parking lot, and she was sitting beside Naruto.

God, he was handsome, she mused with a fierce blush. He wasn't gorgeous like Sasuke, who was all patrician angles and smoldering dark eyes. He was shorter by an inch or so, and stockier; where Sasuke sported lean, toned muscles that bespoke of practically nothing but ninja training, Naruto was more solid, like a football player. He was sturdy and muscular, with boyish good looks, summer blonde hair, the most gorgeous blue eyes she'd ever seen, and a smile that could illuminate the French catacombs.

"I gotta hand it to ya, Hinata-chan!" he exclaimed with a wide grin that made her want to faint and melt all at once. "You really had us fooled! I never knew it was you back at the laser tag place, with your hair all short!"

"O-Oh," she whispered.

"But it looks _really_ great, Hinata-chan! You look like...like a fairy princess, almost! But like a fairy princess that could always always win at Guitar Hero!"

"Naruto what the hell are you talking about, you jackass?" Shikamaru snapped, cutting off Hinata's gleeful reply.

"Yeah, keep your mouth shut, Romeo," Kiba added hotly. "I wanna hear what they're saying!"

Hinata tried to focus on the conversation taking place between Sasuke and Sakura, but all she could concentrate on was Naruto. He liked her hair! And he complimented her! _Well, I think so anyway...I'm not sure what a fairy princess who always always wins at Guitar Hero would look like, but I've never heard Naruto-kun insult anyone but Sasuke, so it probably IS a compliment...but it doesn't MEAN anything, right? Naruto-kun thinks a lot of girls are pretty. Like Sakura-chan. Don't go getting your hopes up for nothing!_

While she debated within herself, she was hyperaware of Naruto's arm resting leisurely on the seat behind her. If she adjusted herself even the slightest (i.e. uncoiled her tense muscles and leaned back), they would be touching. The idea thrilled her as much as it terrified her. That was a good way to describe most of her friendships, actually. Thrilling but terrifying.

She suddenly wished she had dressed more feminine, like Sakura, or even more flirty, like Ino. She felt boyish and immature compared to her friends, who were both so effortlessly lovely and appealing to the opposite sex. In her ripped-up shorts and boxy band T-shirt, how could she even hold a candle to extravagantly beautiful girls like Ino and Sakura?

Her hair, which she had been so in love with just moments prior, suddenly felt masculine and plain. Even though he'd just complimented her, and said he liked it, Hinata felt the familiar walls of insecurity and crippling anxiety close in on her.

This time, however, she remembered her promise to herself: her resolve to become her own person, and her refusal to define herself by her connections to others.

So what if Naruto didn't like her style?

This was how _she_ preferred to dress. Who cared what anyone else thought?

Yeah! Now that she started thinking like that...she hadn't gotten her hair cut to impress Naruto, or anyone else for that matter. She'd chopped off sixteen inches of hair for _herself,_ right? _She'd_ needed a change, so _she'd_ gotten one. Hell yeah!

"I DON'T CARE IF YOU LIKE MY STYLE! I LIKE IT AND THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS!"

Hinata became aware that she had said that all out loud.

Screamed it, more so.

Horrified at her big fat enormous mouth (which had picked _now of all times_ to lose its stammer and softness), she looked around at the guys in the car, all of whom were staring at her with looks ranging from shock (Shikamaru) to confusion (Naruto) to what-the-actual-fuck? (Kiba.)

"Uh...good for you?" Naruto offered bemusedly, while Hinata shrank into herself, cursing her thoughtlessness to hell. "But I really like your style, you know!"

Sasuke chose that moment to wave them all over to where he was speaking with Sakura. As they piled out of the car, one after the other, Hinata was blindly, stupidly grateful to Sasuke for witlessly interrupting the moment.

Because if he hadn't summoned them all over, she knew, she just _knew,_ she would have kissed Naruto for his kind words.

And no matter how much more confident Hinata was becoming, there was absolutely no way she was ready for the accompanying rejection.

Sakura forced herself to remember that there was absolutely nothing romantic about Sasuke's actions up till this point.

At the moment, his fingers were locked around her upper arm, which was losing circulation to the point of numbness. She repeated over and over to herself that he was holding on so tightly so she wouldn't run off again, not because he wanted to touch her.

It wouldn't do to have unnecessary hope welling up inside her.

Even if she somewhat suspected that Sasuke might reciprocate her feelings, she had been wrong before. And finding out she was wrong about this would be beyond mortifying. She wouldn't allow herself to read into every little gesture he made, trying to glean something romantic that simply wasn't there.

All the same, it was difficult not to be thrilled at his refusal to leave her side. Even if she was losing feeling and mobility in her arm, and would probably need to have the damn thing amputated just to shake him off. It would make their escape all the more difficult, but, as she fiercely reminded herself, she had many more things to worry about, besides Sasuke's pushy actions.

Like the tension mounting between Ino and Shikamaru like a tidal wave.

Sakura focused what little of her attention was not spent admiring how good Sasuke looked in that V-neck on her best friend, who was laughing jovially, the life of the party as always, as if nothing was wrong, save for one important thing; she had not said so much as one word to Shikamaru. Shikamaru himself couldn't be bothered to say something to her, but Sakura, who was good at reading people's faces, read only one thing on Shikamaru's:

Guilt.

Her heart sank as she confirmed what Sasuke had told her earlier. So he _had_ messed around with Temari.

Ino would be heartbroken.

Was it her place to tell her? As Ino's best friend?

She tried to put herself in Ino's shoes. Sasuke had no ex-girlfriends to mess around with...but if he hooked up with another girl, and Ino knew about it? She would be furious if she was kept in the dark about the whole thing by the girl she looked at as a sister.

She sighed, knowing it rested on her shoulders to let Ino know. As someone who knew the agony of heartbreak, it was a task that was daunting at best and downright devastating at worst. How could she say those awful words to a girl as in love as Yamanaka Ino was with Shikamaru?

Sasuke's grip loosened slightly, a sign that he was trusting her not to scamper away from him as they all journeyed to the girls' hotel room. The cleaning staff cast them disparaging looks as they passed, three girls with four boys in tow, off to no doubt defile the room they were staying in with some grandiose, illicit sex orgy...

Sakura took her inner turmoil out on them, sparing them the kind of look that scalds. Maybe she _would_ have an orgy, just to spite them.

Or, she corrected herself, stealing yet another glance at Sasuke's handsome profile as he tugged (dragged) her along, maybe she would just act on her years-long attraction to her overbearing friend and jump the shit out of him in the hallway.

The latter option was looking frighteningly (deliciously) likely.

_Damn it, you horny schoolgirl,_ she chastised herself angrily. _Worrying about a thing like that delicious Uchiha peen at a time like this! Focus, you selfish brat, how the hell are you going to tell Ino?_

xoxoxo

"I can't believe you'd go so far as to kidnap our sweet Hina-chan!" Ino laughed, winding her arm through Kiba's.

"Kidnap? Tch, she went willingly," Shikamaru scoffed.

He could have been a crack in the wallpaper for all the attention Ino paid him. As though he'd never spoken, she turned back to Kiba and traced the solid muscle that lingered beneath his red T-shirt.

"What took you all so long to catch up, handsome?" she asked him, batting her eyes flirtatiously, and enjoying the way his brown eyes dilated, a sure sign that he was attracted.

She was going to flirt like hell with Kiba, and rub Shikamaru's nose in it. Serve him right for not so much as _texting_ her the whole time they'd been away.

Not to mention, the fact that she suspected him of hooking up with his bitch ex-girlfriend. Something that she would patently never forgive him for, or be able to move on from, if she knew for sure. Till then, he would suffer her wrath.

"You girls are slippery," Kiba returned with a boyish grin that made Ino want to smile, too, for some reason. "Took us forever, but we found you!"

"This doesn't count," Sakura pointed out. "It's a one-night-only kind of deal."

"How's that, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked. He was walking with his arms behind his head beside Hinata, who seemed to be fighting with her own reserved nature, and attempting to loosen up. Ino was proud of her.

They reached Room 218, and with a swipe of Sakura's room key, they all piled inside. Sakura locked the door behind her and took a seat on the floor, legs folded beneath her.

"Let me explain," she began. Ino sat on the bed and Shikamaru sat beside her; she turned her full body away from him and listened with only the raptest attention to what her best friend was saying, and ignored the defeated sigh he released beside her. "Sasuke-kun and I called a truce. Just for tonight, there's no game. We'll all hang out and party and have fun together...then tomorrow, it starts up again like nothing changed."

"Awesome!" Naruto cried, obviously as in love with the idea as Hinata was with him. He punched the air to show his approval, and Ino rolled her eyes at the display. "That's a great idea, dattebayo!"

Outside, thunder rumbled, the storm reaching the area at last. Figures. It had been clear and cool the last few hours, but Ame never could go very long without a torrential downpour.

"We need rules," Sasuke said firmly, all eyes directing to him. Ino's gaze flickered between Sasuke and her pink-haired best friend, who sat suspiciously close to one another, and Ino, not for the first time, envied Sakura with all her heart.

She was sitting next to Shikamaru, but it felt like he was miles away.

Her heart began to break, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing. Instead, she asked, "Rules? Like what?"

"No. More. Cops," Sasuke bit out, and everyone laughed.

"That _was_ a good prank, though, you have to admit," Kiba chuckled. "Never thought they'd have it in 'em."

"S-Sasuke's right," Hinata spoke up, to general astonishment; you could count on one hand the number of times Hinata had volunteered _anything_ to a group as large as they were. "Remember we're all going to c-college. We could lose our scholarships if w-we get in trouble."

Thus it was agreed that no longer would they involve the police in their little game.

"Okay, no cops," Sakura decided. "Anything else you guys are too incapable of dealing with?"

Sasuke spared her a withering look and didn't dignify her rude question with an answer.

"You gotta let us know what area you'll be in," Kiba chimed in. "You don't have to tell us where exactly, but don't let us search through Ame if you're gonna be in Oto."

Ino rolled her eyes. "You guys really want to make this as easy for yourselves as you can, don't you?"

"Come on, Ino," Naruto laughed. "Don't forget, this is _our_ vacation, too!"

He did have a point. Sakura took the pad of paper and pen from the nightstand and began scribbling down the rules.

"Okay, rule 1...no cops...rule 2...general area. Seems fair so far."

"If you're in trouble," Naruto said, unusually serious, "you call us right away."

"Define trouble," Ino ordered.

"Car trouble, feminine troubles..."

Three pillows were thrown at him for that one, from Ino, Sakura, and Hinata respectively.

"If any guys get too touchy-feely," Kiba clarified.

Ino scoffed. She felt the anger building within her, like a coil waiting to snap. She needed to vent some of her inner frustrations before she exploded, and she had a bad feeling that she wouldn't be able to stop once she started.

"What if we _want_ the guys to get touchy-feely?" she countered heatedly.

She caught the worried look Sakura shot her, and suddenly despised what she had always loved about her friendship with Sakura: the uncanny way each girl could figure out the other. Suddenly, Ino didn't _want_ to be easy to read.

She didn't want Shikamaru to know how he was destroying her just by _existing._

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Shikamaru stunned everyone, himself possibly included, by asking the question. He didn't look at Ino, his gaze directed at the dark purple carpet, but his eyes were burning.

"Like it would bother you!" she scoffed in return. She wanted to smack that look right off his stupid face. "I can do whatever the hell I want, Shikamaru. You're the last person to be telling me I can't!"

The room was silent, all eyes focused on the two of them, and Ino hated herself for losing her temper. She didn't even know if Shikamaru did anything to be bitched at _for,_ besides not talking to her the past couple of days. But the doubt and suspicion was choking her from the inside out, and had manifested themselves as ill-concealed rage that begged to be released.

She wanted to hurt him. Hurt him like he had hurt her.

"Okay," Sakura said loudly, in a vain attempt to diffuse the situation. "So we have no cops, general area, and calling if we're in trouble. Seems fair, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, sure does!" piped up Naruto in support.

Sakura glanced at Ino cautiously, before she stood.

"I'm gonna run to the liquor store," she decided. "Why don't you guys order a pizza or room service or something while I pick up some beer? We can hang out in here till the storm clears up, then find something else to do, yeah?"

"I'll go with you," Sasuke said, in a tone that left no room for argument.

"Ino-pig, your thighs are looking particularly thunderous at the moment," Sakura said, in a rude, playful tone that Ino recognized. "Why don't you head down to the hotel gym for awhile? I think the bed you're sitting on will appreciate it."

Her words were barbed and brutal, but Ino saw through it immediately; Sakura was giving her an out, an excuse to leave the hostile situation and clear her head alone. A surge of love for her best friend filled her to the brim, even as her eyes narrowed and she shot back, "You nasty little billboard brow...too bad there's no exercises you can do to shrink that damnable _forehead_ back to human size!"

The tension in the room dissolved considerably with this return to typical behavior. Ino changed into her gym clothes in the bathroom while the others argued over what food to order from where, her mind in chaos.

_Sakura knows I need to be alone right now,_ she thought. _And thank God for that because if they leave me in there with Shikamaru I know I'm gonna snap! But how do I deal with this? How am I supposed to look him in the eye when I don't even know WHY I'm this angry?_

_What the fucking HELL is happening to me?_


	23. Liquor Runs and Second Thoughts

It was raining.

Correction: it was pouring.

Sasuke had to wonder if Sakura was an alcoholic, choosing to venture out into this fucking hurricane to buy alcohol. He considered all the possible options of telling her to go get treatment, but all of them ended in her kicking him between the legs. And if she was going to do _anything_ between his legs, it better be a-

"Sorry to drag you along, warden," she interrupted his nice little fantasy by popping out a big blue umbrella and holding it over their heads. "But I needed to talk to you about Shikamaru and Ino."

Tch. Just one _mention_ of his lazy asshole friend and the shrew was an automatic boner kill.

"You didn't ask me to come with you," he pointed out.

"I knew you would, if I said I was going somewhere," she explained needlessly. "No offense Sasuke-kun but you're really easy to predict. And there's no sense in glaring at me-" He quickly looked away before she caught him doing exactly that. "-because we've got bigger worries right now."

They plodded slowly through the rainy streets, Sasuke masterfully avoiding puddles so as not to thoroughly saturate his gray Converse. He glanced at Sakura's flipflops in disapproval, and rolled his eyes. The annoying little harpy couldn't even be bothered to put on proper footwear when going outside? How could she be trusted to survive this stupid road trip alive and unscathed and unmolested?

His plummeting mood was counterbalanced by the knowledge that, at least for the moment, Sakura was perfectly safe, and right by his side, where he could keep an eye on her. The knowledge of this tamed a monster in his stomach that he didn't even know he had, filling him with a comfortable sense of calm, despite his irritation.

He slowed his stride a little, to prolong the moment.

Even if discussing Shikamaru and Ino was about the last thing in the world he wanted to do. He knew that Ino meant the world to Sakura (God only knew why, there was only one woman on the planet more aggravating than Sakura herself), and if Ino was unhappy, then so was Sakura. He would never understand girls. When Naruto was unhappy, Sasuke would beat him up until he got over himself already.

Their friendship made much more sense to him.

But Sakura was clearly upset, and even if he effected cool detachment, Sakura had always been an exception to most of his preconceived notions about people. He could never really stomach her distress, even over something as unengaging as this was. It annoyed him when she was chatty and bubbly and flirty and coy, but it annoyed him even more when she _wasn't_.

He sighed. It couldn't be helped; he would have to help her out.

"What did he do with Temari?" she asked, turning to look at him.

"Tch. If you're looking for details I can't give them to you, I didn't see it for myself. I can just tell."

"But he _definitely_ did something?"

"Aa."

"Damn it."

"I already told you that."

"Well I was hoping you were mistaken. That he was off buying Ino a present instead, and that he's gonna confess his undying love for her and make this whole shitass situation go away."

"Wishful thinking," he scoffed. "Life isn't like that."

"I know, but for Ino's sake I wish it was," she replied softly.

They continued towards the liquor store in silence, each lost in their respective thoughts. Neither of them spoke until they reached Ame Wine and Spirits, stepping out of the rain into the small, well-air-conditioned shop several blocks from their hotel.

"Grab some vodka, will you?" Sakura asked him with a sad smile. "Ino's gonna need it tonight. I'm gonna look for her favorite wine."

"Aa." Buying liquor with Ino in mind was not Sasuke's idea of a good time. Nor was it the way he wanted to spend his alone time with Sakura. He watched her walk away to a different aisle, eyes tracing the motions of her body as a familiar desire gripped him so strongly he swore under his breath. That damn girl was going to be the death of him and she _wasn't even aware_ of the control she had over him.

God help him if she ever figured it out.

Sighing and banishing his lust to the back of his mind, he stalked towards the vodka aisle and began perusing the different labels. It may be for Ino's benefit, but if he had to go along with this stupid ordeal, he was going to pick a brand that he liked. Screw her preferences.

He finally seized two sizable bottles of Russian Standard and went searching for his annoying little companion. To his immediate dismay, he found her in the wine aisle, a bottle of wine in her hands and a slackjawed idiot in her way, ogling her with absolutely no shame (and no self-preservation, if he had any idea the beating coming his way.)

This was _precisely_ why this trip bothered him so much in the first place.

Sakura couldn't go _anywhere_ without being ogled or admired. It was one of the hazards of being a uniquely beautiful girl, with the kind of magnetic personality that drew people in. That was why it was so important to Sasuke that she always exercise caution, and go places with him, so he could protect her.

Why couldn't the maddening little snot see that he was only looking out for her safety and wellbeing?

He exhaled sharply through his nose and stomped over to where they stood, his displeasure increasing when he saw how uncomfortable Sakura looked. For all her feminine wiles, she was still so frustratingly naive about men and how to deal with them.

"Oi," he said coldly. Sakura and the jerk currently undressing her with his eyes both looked around at him, Sakura with unmasked relief, the jerk with surprise and disappointment.

Sasuke had been itching for a fight for days, but knew if he pummeled the little shit into a bloody mess, it would upset Sakura. He settled for his most intimidating glare and was rewarded with the sight of the stupid prick cowering, _cowering_ beneath his gaze.

"Let's go," he said to Sakura, who nodded hastily and followed him to checkout. The dumbass boy, whose nametag read 'Morino Idate', skulked behind them to ring up their things for them. Idate had more self-preservation than Sasuke gave him credit for, it seemed, because he did not so much as glance at Sakura as he cashed out two bottles of Russian Standard and a cheap boxed wine that Ino liked. Sasuke paid, ignoring Sakura's protests and the money she waved in his face, and grabbed the bag and her elbow before stomping out of the liquor store.

Sakura hastily put up the umbrella once they were outside and started in immediately on the bitching.

"What the hell was that all about?" she demanded. "I was gonna pay for it! You nearly pulled my arm out of its socket running out of there like that!"

"You're so fucking _clueless,_" he sneered. His bad mood returned full force. She should be thanking him for discouraging that Morino fuckshitter for her, since she was too polite and sweet and naive to do it herself. Instead she was bitching him out for it.

"Clueless?" shouted Sakura, drawing stares from the other evening shoppers shuffling through the rain. "YOU'RE clueless! How am I clueless you jerk?"

"You're naive," he snapped. "Too naive to be out on your own. Who knows what he would've done to you?"

"He was _flirting _with me! He wasn't gonna _rape_ me, Sasuke!"

"You don't know that." Sasuke's voice was so dark that Sakura immediately shut up. He met her gaze fiercely, so she couldn't misunderstand what he was saying. "You need to be _careful._ You understand? Learn how to deal with men before they play you out."

She looked up at him, biting her lip and immediately drawing his gaze to her mouth.

"You're doing it right now," he said. His voice softened and lowered, and he experienced a jolt in his stomach at the way her pupils dilated. "You don't know you are, but even the look you're giving me."

She blinked innocently, confused, and he sighed in irritation.

"You're beautiful, Sakura," he said flatly. He did not mean it as a compliment, merely a statement of fact. She blushed anyway, and he supposed she had the right. Uchiha Sasuke had never said any woman was beautiful, besides his late mother. "And you're approachable. That gives any guy the idea that you're easy to manipulate. Easy to take advantage of. That's why I don't want you running around on your own."

Sasuke watched as her cheeks turned even redder before she sighed as well.

"I appreciate that you do and say these things to protect me," she told him, shifting her weight onto one foot. "But I promise I can look out for myself sometimes. You don't need to worry about me so much."

Sasuke's expression made it clear that he disagreed, which just made her giggle.

"Besides, I could give you the same advice, Sasuke-kun. That whole tall, dark, handsome thing you've got going? Mr. Broody, Misunderstood, Aloof Ice Cube? Why don't you just paint a giant bulls-eye on your back because hellloooo? That's exactly what girls go for."

He scoffed and turned away from her so she wouldn't see the reddening of his cheeks.

Handsome, huh?

Sakura was her best friend, Ino reasoned, but this treadmill was definitely a close runner-up.

Ino wore a pair of Spandex running shorts and a T-shirt that belonged to Hinata, along with her grungiest sneakers. The hotel gym was ill-equipped, save for a set of barbells, an elliptical, and this glorious treadmill. Working out was an excellent way to release all her pent-up anxiety and anger, and she felt like she could run on this damn thing for hours.

Running was cathartic. She felt all the negative emotions within her pour out through sweat and labored breaths, and rejoiced in the weightlessness she was experiencing.

But to her panic, she felt tears burn in her eyes. Like hell. Like hell would she cry over a boy. Over _any_ boy. Even Shikamaru, that infuriating sap. Her tears were worth more than he could ever hope to be.

She turned the dial up, increasing the speed, and wondered why she was freaking out so badly right now. She hadn't been this emotionally distraught since Chris Meloni had left Law and Order SVU.

_I love him,_ she thought fiercely. _That means I should hear him out. Right? Listen to his explanations for why he's been such a dicknut to me lately. I don't KNOW that he did anything with Temari. And even if he did...we're not in a relationship. He's allowed to bang anyone at this point and I can't even get mad._

She growled at the very thought and was forced to confront her own insecurity about the issue.

_Okay, so he can't bang anyone he wants without me getting mad. I just want him to bang me. ONLY me! What's so bad about that? What's so wrong with wanting to only bang one person and have them only bang you back? What's wrong with me that he wants to BANG OTHER PEOPLE?_

Furious, Ino turned the dial up even higher and was full-on sprinting at this point. She needed to sweat him right out of her head, and heart.

Because nothing was worth this awful state of unknowing.

xoxoxo

Kiba knew he should be more pissed off than he actually was, with Sasuke running off with Sakura on their little two-man mission to obtain a ridiculous amount of alcohol.

But it was hard not to feel strangely triumphant, with the recording in his cell phone. The recording that would close the book on the Sasuke-Sakura tragic love story. The recording that would guarantee him a fair shot with the girl of every guys' dreams.

Any lingering doubts he may have had about the fairness of the situation had been banished forcibly to the back of his mind. This was the right thing to do. Sakura was in way too deep with Uchiha. Only a nasty wakeup call would convince her to let him go once and for all, and it was better sooner than later at that. Girls like Sakura shouldn't waste their time with boys like Sasuke.

At the same time, though, Sasuke was his friend. Kiba frowned here as he drowned out the sound of Naruto demanding ramen from anyone who would listen. It was an unwritten policy in the universe of guys: you don't go after their girls. And if Sasuke had a girl, it was Sakura.

That didn't sit too well with him. Stealing his friend's girl right from under him was base treachery as far as friendship was concerned. It would certainly cost him his friendship with Sasuke.

But Sakura was more important.

Wasn't she?

He liked to think he was in love with her, but if he was being truthful with himself, he really wasn't sure. He'd never been in love before, so he had nothing to compare it to. He knew he liked her. He knew he was attracted to her. He knew he wanted her to be happy.

That was love, right?

Kiba sighed and stretched out on Sakura's bed. He inhaled her scent on the pillows (clean and floral) and it made him think of springtime.

He was definitely sexually attracted to Sakura. If she was willing, he would not hesitate in climbing into bed with her. He'd had more than a few dirty dreams about how she'd move those dancer's limbs, how she'd sigh his name as he moved within her.

But he felt the same way about Ino. The way she was flirting with him in the hallway on the way to the girls' hotel room had him thinking of a whole new fantasy, where blonde was the starlet and pink was nowhere to be found.

If that was the case...if you could be in love with someone, and still be sexually interested in someone else...couldn't the same be true for Sakura? Couldn't she love Sasuke for the time being, while lust for Kiba?

Somehow it didn't sound like Sakura.

There were just too many unknowns in this situation. He was risking a years-long friendship on a gamble with a girl, for whom his feelings were still completely unclear.

He came to a decision. He would hang onto the recording for awhile, until he was sure that what he felt for Sakura was actual love. Not like, not interest, not sexual attraction, but pure, straight-up love. The kind she felt for Sasuke.

He needed to be sure.

**note..** Thanks so much to my reviewers, I really appreciate the input! I can't make any promises about Shikamaru and Ino, or Kiba for that matter. But I want to give Ino the ending she deserves...not necessarily the one people want for her. There's still plenty to go with this story, so thank you for the continued support. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. :)


	24. Under the Umbrella

Sakura knew she was blushing as badly as Hinata, but she really couldn't help it.

To hear Sasuke call her beautiful...like it was the most obvious thing in the world...and to have him admit that the reason he was so (overbearingly batshit crazy) overprotective was because he wanted her to be safe?

She would have pinched herself, but pinching hurt like hell. And if she _was_ dreaming, she wanted to prolong the dream as long as she could, not rouse herself out of it.

They continued back to the hotel, laden down with alcohol. Sakura had to take two steps for Sasuke's one, his strides much longer. Her flipflops clapped noisily through the sidewalk puddles that he so effortlessly avoided. Sakura liked rain, but was eager to leave Amegakure in the morning; a rainstorm every day was just depressing.

She chanced a glance up at Sasuke, his expression relaxed, his profile as gorgeous as always, and realized that she was _not_ eager to leave Sasuke.

But it had to be done, at least temporarily. Sakura had every intention of allowing Sasuke and the boys to catch up to them properly, this brief armistice notwithstanding. But she needed to ensure that when the time came, Ino would be strong enough to face Shikamaru, and Hinata would be brave enough to admit her feelings for Naruto...

And that she would be ready to look Sasuke in the eye and admit her love for him. Even if he didn't reciprocate. Even if she was imagining the burning sensation that he felt exactly the same way for her. Even if this whole trip was a collossal waste of time.

_I'm not ready yet,_ she thought with a frown. _I'm still waiting for him to admit it to me first, and I really hope he does. But if he doesn't...if he doesn't by the end, then I'll tell him myself how I feel. And then I'll walk away from him._

Set in her resolve, Sakura squared her shoulders and stood a little taller. If Sasuke noticed her change in disposition, he didn't acknowledge it.

A few moments passed in silence as they listened to the rain falling against the umbrella they huddled beneath, before Sakura's giggle broke the quiet.

He turned to her with a raised eyebrow, his way of asking what was so funny and still managing to remain as arrogantly disconnected as ever.

"This reminds me of Homecoming," she explained, indicating the rain and her proximity to Sasuke.

He smirked as she was launched back into the memory of that nerve-wracking football game the previous fall.

_"This is a fucking nightmare!" Ino hissed. "A nightmare of epic proportions. Perhaps the worst thing that will ever happen to anyone ever."_

_"You've got to learn to differentiate between a real tragedy and one of your useless tantrums, Pig," Sakura returned flatly. "It's really not that big of a deal. Just use a fucking umbrella."_

_"But it's HOMECOMING, Forehead! My dress is made of satin, just what the hell do you think is gonna happen if it gets wet?"_

_"Well if your tone is any indication, it's likely to melt right off your body. That's one way to earn voters."_

_"You think you're hilarious," Ino hissed. "You're about to be mud-splattered and humiliated same as me, you know!"_

_The two girls stood together in the girls' locker room at school, fixing their hair and makeup in the mirror. It was Homecoming, and both had been nominated for Homecoming Queen. In an hour, they would be escorted onto the football field along with the other nominee, a girl named Watanabe Ami, where the Queen would be announced, pictures would be taken, etc._

_But no one had counted on the rain. The field was soaked and muddy as the football team played a messy, filthy game beneath the downpour. The girls weren't due on until halftime, but even if the rain cleared up, the field itself was a wreck._

_Idly, Sakura wished she had gone for a shorter dress, but Ino had all but insisted that she pick a long one. Now, she realized with a sigh, she regretted her decision, because even if she didn't care one way or another about winning Homecoming Queen, she really liked the cream-colored dress she was wearing, and didn't want it to be ruined._

_"Just be grateful we were nominated, Ino," Sakura sighed. "And when you win, this'll all be worth it."_

_"I suppose you have a point there," Ino agreed, snickering when Sakura shot her a dirty look. "Oh, come on, Forehead. It's pretty much up in the air between us. As long as that COW Ami doesn't win, I'll be satisfied. Check my hair, will you? I feel like one of the braids is coming loose in the back."_

_Ino sat on the bench across from the lockers lining the walls, while her best friend examined her hairstyle. She was wearing her long blonde hair in loose, romantic curls, braids woven in intricate designs. Her makeup was vixeny, highlighting her blue eyes and her cherry red lips. In the low-cut royal purple dress she was wearing, Sakura mused that Ino looked more like a Homecoming Queen than anyone else in the world ever had._

_She fixed the offending braid with a quick maneuvering of her fingers before checking herself in the mirror._

_The dress she'd picked was cream-colored and made of satin, strapless and cinching in at her thin waist before flaring out at the bottom. Pretty and simple, Sakura's signature style. She'd gone for an updo, her bangs wisping to one side of her face while the rest was pulled into a loose, curly bun at the base of her neck. Her eyes were smoky, the seafoam green popping against the dark mascara and eyeliner, and a smear of pink lipgloss had her feeling confident in her appearance. Even if she was sure she was going to lose, she was at least sure she wouldn't make an absolute fool of herself at the same time._

_"Well, we look more gorgeous than any two girls have the right to look ever," Ino decided, standing from the bench and admiring her reflection from every angle. "At least till we're bombed by this fucking rainstorm. But remind me again how YOU managed to snag the hottest escort, while I'M stuck with KIBA?"_

_Sakura rolled her eyes. "Kiba's great, Ino. He's really good-looking and he's so funny. You should be glad he's escorting you."_

_"Okay, but how did YOU get SASUKE?"_

_"We've been over this before." Sakura was trying not to feel the swarm of butterflies that erupted in her stomach whenever she thought about her escort. "Sasuke's sidelined for the next two football games because he hurt his knee last week in that game against Suna. I asked him if he'd want to escort me. He said he would. That's it."_

_"Oh. Yeah. Because UCHIHA SASUKE gets all dolled up to parade himself in front of hundreds of screaming chicks for just anybody. When are you going to open your dumbass eyes and see that he's doing it because he LIKES you?"_

_"We're just friends," Sakura stated firmly._

_"Yeah. Only he doesn't want to be just friends, you idiot. And neither do you. I say you kiss him tonight, at the dance."_

_"Oh yeah right."_

_"I'm serious! There's only one reason a girl as hot as you has never been kissed, Forehead! You're in love with that gorgeous piece of sexyhot. I know it. He knows it. Everyone knows it. ACT ON IT AND BANG HIM TONIGHT."_

_Sakura, luckily, didn't have to answer that, because at that moment, a knock came on the locker room door._

_"Oi, Sakura-chan!" It was Naruto. "Are you dressed yet?"_

_"Don't you DARE come in here, Naruto!" Sakura snapped. "We'll be out in a second! Come on, Ino." Here she opened her arms for one of their rare but meaningful hugs. Ino grinned and hugged her much-shorter friend. "Good luck, my beautiful blonde bimbo."_

_"You too, my sexyhot little prude."_

_With that, they exited the locker room, only to find just about EVERYONE in the hallway waiting for them._

_Naruto had obviously just raced from the football game, where he was the All-State wide receiver. He was wearing his jersey and cleats and was positively covered in mud and soaked through with rainwater. His eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw the girls, and he yelled out, "YOU BOTH LOOK SO BEAUTIFUL, DATTEBAYO!"_

_When he moved to hug them, Ino jumped back and hissed, "If you touch me with those filthy hands, I will slide you down a banister of razorblades into a vat of rubbing alcohol."_

_Naruto refrained._

_Behind him were Neji and Tenten, last year's Homecoming Queen, dressed in a short pink get-up and wearing her crown for the last night. She was to crown the new queen, and her boyfriend had returned to their alma mater to support her._

_"You both look sensational!" Tenten squealed._

_"Tenten!" cried Sakura and Ino, and the three girls hugged in happy reunion. An upperclassman, Tenten had graduated the year before and she and Neji now attended Konoha University. They hadn't seen their friend in months, and hugged a stoic but content Neji as well._

_Beside Neji was his cousin, Hinata, who happily wished her best friends good luck. Shikamaru stood off to the side, too bored to pay much attention to anything. Their friends Shino and Chouji were there also, as well as Rock Lee, a member of Tenten's graduating class who nursed a powerful (almost creepy) crush on Sakura. He took one look at her and burst into tears, unable to believe that something so beautiful was actually human, but before he could articulate exactly how beautiful she was, a throat cleared and everyone turned their attention to the two escorts in the back._

_Kiba looked handsome in a black tuxedo with a purple vest to match Ino's dress, but Sakura couldn't look away from Sasuke._

_He looked as casually, effortlessly gorgeous as ever, his good looks enhanced by the form-fitting suit he was wearing. His ivory shirt was unbuttoned at the top, and his black tie was loose, as though he couldn't be bothered to tie it. He wore a pair of black pants (that Sakura suddenly wanted to rip off) and a matching blazer, his hair in messy disarray, and his eyes a perfect mix of boredom and smolder._

_Sakura swallowed her sudden raging lust and approached him with a coy smile._

_"So how do I look, Sasuke-kun? Positively ravishing? A vision?"_

_"Annoying," he replied, with a smirk. "They want us on the field in ten minutes, we should head over now."_

_"Yeah, we're gonna go find seats," Naruto said, "before I have to get back on the field and CARRY THE TEAM BECAUSE TEME HAS A BAD KNEE AND SOMEONE HAS TO WIN THIS FOR US DATTEBAYO! Good luck, girls!"_

_He and the others went ahead, back into the rain to find seats in the bleachers after much well-wishing and premature congratulations. Neji and Tenten headed to the field where they would be called first. Ino hugged Sakura one more time before grabbing Kiba and ducking under his umbrella._

_"You look good," Sakura informed Sasuke, seeing no reason to lie. He didn't respond, merely whipped open a black umbrella and grabbed her elbow to pull her underneath it. They were pressed up against one another, side to side, and Sakura felt inexplicably warm, despite the fact that he was dragging her out into the freezing cold rainstorm. Her cheeks _flamed_ as they strode quickly from the school down the winding road to the football stadium, and when she heard the roar of the crowd, she whimpered._

_"Sasuke-kun I'm nervous," she confessed. The wind whipped her exposed arms and goosebumps erupted on her skin, and she was glad he'd had the foresight to bring an umbrella wide enough to keep her dry. "What if I trip or something?"_

_He sighed in irritation as they reached the rear entrance, where Kiba and Ino, Neji and Tenten, and Ami and her escort were waiting to be called. "You'll be fine. Just hold onto my arm like in rehearsal."_

_Sakura looked up at him and smiled shakily before sliding her arm tentatively through his. The corded muscle beneath the sleeve of his suit made her knees weak for an entirely different reason, and she barely heard the announcer call Neji and Tenten, last year's Queen, to the field, followed by Ami and her escort, and then Kiba and Ino._

_"And our last member of the Homecoming Court..." Sarutobi-sensei's voice boomed over the loudspeakers from his perch in the pressbox. "Captain of the tennis team, dance team, and cheerleading squad, President of the National Honor Society, Senior Class Secretary and accepted early decision to the Konoha University Medical Program...Miss Haruno Sakura!"_

_The applause was deafening, and Sakura barely managed to school her features into a confident smile as she and Sasuke began the long trek across the football field to where the other nominees were gathered. She became aware that it was only Sasuke's strong arm around hers that kept her standing, let alone walking, and the umbrella he was carrying kept her completely dry. Not for the first time, she was glad he was such a capable person._

_"Miss Haruno is escorted this evening by Uchiha Sasuke." At Sarutobi-sensei's words, a choir of girlish squeals of delight rang out from the crowd, and Sakura giggled at Sasuke's huff of annoyance. "Mr. Uchiha is Senior Class Treasurer, as well as Captain of the Konoha High School football, basketball, and baseball teams."_

_As he finished, Sasuke and Sakura reached the other members of the court, standing in the middle as Sarutobi called for quiet from the excited audience. Not even the torrential downpour could have kept them away from the Homecoming Game._

_"And your 2012 Konoha High School Homecoming Queen is..."_

_Sasuke smirked a little, and Sakura wondered why he was smirking at a time like this, when..._

_"Haruno Sakura!"_

Sakura hadn't expected to win that day at all, but to say she hadn't been happy about it would have been a complete lie.

And now, she found herself once again crammed beneath an umbrella with Sasuke, and just like back then, he gave her the confidence to handle herself and her situation. His commanding way of taking control and helping her in subtle ways lent her clarity to this situation with Ino and Shikamaru.

She knew what she needed to do.

A smile crossed her face.

_Thanks, Sasuke-kun._

**notes..** This was partly inspired by my experience at Homecoming in '08. Only my dress was ruined. I decided to give Sakura the happy, glorious ending that my own cream-colored dress never got. Hope this chapter of completely meaningless fluff satisfies your SasuSaku cravings...or, like the Chinese food I'm currently scarfing, leaves you wanting more. Till next time :)


	25. One Night In Amegakure

Two hours later found seven Konoha High School graduates impossibly drunk.

All of them partook of the alcohol Sasuke and Sakura had procured, and as it turned out, two full bottles of vodka, a bottle of wine, and the 24-pack of beer the boys had been keeping in Sasuke's trunk (for emergencies) was more than enough to thoroughly intoxicate each and every one of them.

The hotel room they were all crammed into was trashed, since none of them could keep their balance or walk in a straight line. The bedding was ripped from the beds, blankets and pillows strewn on the floor to make additional sleeping areas for the four unexpected guests. They blared music from Ino's iPod speakers, and Shikamaru, in the most coherent corner of his mind, was passingly grateful that they'd lucked into a room in an out-of-the-way corner of the hotel, where less people could hear them.

Or call the police on them, and have them all arrested.

"Dance with me, Kiba!" Ino cried, jumping up on one of the beds with a red Solo cup full of vodka and Sprite in her hand. "Dance the dance of life!"

"I hardly think Pitbull is the music of life," drawled Shikamaru. He was more pissed off than he figured he had the right to be, when Ino seized Kiba by the collar of his T-shirt and dragged him up onto the bed with her. She was drunk dancing with one of her drunk friends. Surely that was no reason to be ruffled, not after what he'd done with Temari back in Suna.

But he couldn't help it. Even knowing that she was only doing it to spite him in some vindictive harpy-Ino way, it still got right under his skin.

He glanced around furtively to see if anyone else noticed what was going on. Hinata was stroking Naruto's hair and murmuring (slurring) comforting words while he vomited his brains out into the toilet in the bathroom. Sasuke had wandered off to the balcony to drink and brood in private, with Sakura, of course. They were having a hushed conversation, knocking back shots, and exchanging bloodshot, bleary bedroom eyes that nearly made him sick. He'd have no allies, no witnesses to this debauchery between Kiba and Ino.

"Pitbull IS life!" Sakura shouted from the balcony, before the door was slammed shut by an irritated Sasuke, leaving Shikamaru utterly alone as Kiba and Ino performed some idiotic, oddly sexual dance routine on top of the ruined bed. It looked like they'd even choreographed it beforehand, because whenever Ino shouted, "I know you want me!", Kiba would shout back, "YOU KNOW I WANT YA!"

"You know what, Kiba?" Ino yelled, draining an entire beer in one massive, masculine swig and tossing the can scarily close to Shikamaru's head. "We'd make some fucking hot babies together, you know that! We really would!"

"I fucking know, Ino, God they'd be so fucking hot. Hotter than anything. Hotter than like. Boiling fire. Water steam. I don't fucking know but yeah they'd be fucking HOT."

Kiba's drunkenness was rendering him incoherent, so Shikamaru attributed his sudden attraction to Ino to that, trying to think himself into a better mood. But the alcohol he'd consumed was blurring the edges of his reasoning, and made it hard to evaluate the situation like he normally would have. His lazy disconnect just wasn't helping him out here. Having a front row seat to this shitshow was grating on his nerves, and he couldn't look away.

The truly annoying part about the whole thing was that Ino wasn't even looking Shikamaru's way as she flirted her brains out and grinded up against an overeager Kiba. Sometimes, she would flirt with other guys intentionally, deliberately, while keeping an eye on Shikamaru to gauge his reaction. She loved watching him degenerate into a miserable, aggravated ball of jealousy.

But she didn't so much as glance in his direction.

Shikamaru couldn't even step outside for a damn cigarette, since the balcony was currently occupied by Sasuke and Sakura. Which, if the steamy looks they'd been exchanging all night were any indication, would probably require a thorough cleaning once they were through.

He chugged his sixth beer and laid down on the floor, his back to the debacle on the bed, and welcomed his most loyal friend - a long, dreamless sleep - into the hellhole of moral turpentine that was Room 218.

xoxoxo

Ino knew that she loved Shikamaru.

But that didn't mean she had to like him right now.

That also didn't mean she couldn't like someone _else_ right now. Right? Right. Of course not.

Because at the moment, lost in a glittery hailstorm of vodka and teenage frustration, her blonde hair whipping back and forth and the world spinning, with Kiba in front of her, just as much of a mess as she was, she found that she was liking him a great deal. Kiba, that is. Not Shikamaru. Fuck Shikamaru. Yeah. Fuck him. Fuck him like he might have fucked Temari.

The more she drank, the harder she danced. The harder she danced, the more she laughed. The more she laughed, the easier it was to forget about his quiet, lazy, _guilty_ ass in the same room. The easier it was to forget about him...the easier it was to focus on this perfectly-sculpted hunk of top sirloin man meat in front of her.

What wasn't to like about Inuzuka Kiba?

He was a prankster, had a wicked sense of humor, and was an animal in bed, if the rumors were to be believed. He was also sweet and inherently kind, and despite his penchant for sarcasm and a time-consuming preoccupation with his dog, she doubted she would find a better boyfriend in the whole world.

She knew he was crazy about her best friend. That would be a definite stumbling block. Not to mention the fact that she was entirely too hung up on Shikamaru at the moment to even consider the idea of abandoning him in favor of this much more fun candidate.

But.

That didn't stop her from liking Kiba in that minute.

She just hoped that it would disappear by the time the alcohol wore off the next morning.

Because as Kiba pulled her down onto the bed with him, something wild in his eyes, drunken and fucked up just like her own, Ino realized that she already had one fucking idiot in her heart.

Could she really have enough room for another?

xoxoxo

It was nothing more than jealousy and that age-old need for revenge that prompted Kiba to respond so candidly to Yamanaka Ino.

She was wrong for him in nearly every way. That much he knew. She was loud and overbearing, opinionated and headstrong and a complete attention whore.

In short, she was his female doppleganger.

Opposites attracted, right? That's what drew Sasuke and Sakura together, he reminded himself bitterly, thinking of the two of them and how they'd disappeared together onto the balcony. And Naruto and Hinata, passed out on the bathroom floor.

Kiba doubted he could even _handle_ a girl version of himself.

But Ino was just what he needed right now, wasn't she?

Beautiful and a complete mess, allowing him to pull her down onto the bed they'd just danced (trampled) on. Her blue eyes were unfocused, bleary from the alcohol, but there was a fire in them, a fire that promised passion and reminded him that they _both_ had someone that they needed to forget about tonight.

He forced thoughts of Sakura and Shikamaru away as he snatched one of the blankets that had gotten kicked off the mattress and pulled it viciously over top of both of them. He wasn't surprised when Ino snatched his collar and kissed him hard, viciously, violently, her grip relentless on him as she wound her legs around his waist.

He kissed her back in kind, and surrendered to this drunken mistake. He could always blame it on the fucking vodka later, he rationalized sloppily, as his fumbling fingers reached for her bra. They could lose themselves in one another right now, and just for a little while, forget that they were both about to get their hearts broken.

Just for a little while.

Blame it on the FUCKING vodka.

And the rest of the night was a blur.

xoxoxo

Sasuke hadn't planned on getting this fucking drunk.

It had just kind of _happened._

Perhaps it was the security, however temporary, of knowing that they were with their flighty girls; security in the knowledge that as long as he was with her, no harm could befall Sakura; security in the knowledge that she was out here, alone, with him. He could afford, for this night, to lower his guard.

Alcohol loosened his inhibitions, like with anyone else. He was more direct, more clear in his intentions. It was slightly cool now that the rain had cleared up, but on the second floor balcony with Sakura, even as a chilly breeze blew her hair back behind her shoulders, Sasuke felt like he had a fever.

He faced her squarely, smirking as she polished off another shot and giggled afterwards. She looked maddeningly pretty, having changed out of her previous outfit into what might have constituted pajamas on some slutty other planet, but to him was just a dick magnet. She wore a white camisole that exposed a sliver of her perfectly-toned stomach, with a pair of pink cotton shorts that were too short to be legal.

Sasuke mused that he should scold her for her indecency, but figured it would be hypocritical of him, considering how much he was enjoying it.

If the sudden darkening of her green eyes when their gazes met was any indication, she reciprocated his gripping physical attraction, laying to rest any doubts he might have had about the status of her feelings for him.

In the back of his mind, he knew this was wrong. This wasn't how he'd wanted to do things. Sakura deserved to know that he loved her, didn't she? He wanted to tell her that himself, because after putting up with him for as long as she had, she needed to know that all the work building and rebuilding their bond hadn't been for nothing. She needed to know that he thought she was special.

But he was just so damn _drunk._ And so was she.

Could he be selfish? Could he allow himself to succumb to his lust for her, to the alcohol in his bloodstream that _demanded_ he take action with this feisty beauty? Could he -

"So close," she slurred. She stumbled towards him, and on pure reflex, he reached out and grabbed her waist with the hand _not_ holding his beer to steady her. Her ab muscles flexed beneath his touch, and desire overwhelmed him yet again. "You're so close Sas...Sas'k'kun...sooo close here..." She touched his arm lightly and it felt like his skin would burst into flames. "But so far away here." Her fingers drifted up to his temple, brushing lightly through his black hair and driving him absolutely insane.

"Sakura," Sasuke growled out, almost a warning as the half-full beer dropped from his hand, which immediately found purchase behind Sakura's neck. Her hair was as silky as he remembered it, and she gasped slightly in surprise at his bold action, which only turned him on even more.

"I'm gonna win your game," he promised her darkly. He pressed his hips hard against hers, so she could feel what she was doing to him. Her shuddering, feminine little moan was almost enough to make him lose control right on the spot. "No matter where you go from here, I'm gonna find you. You can run all you want. Pull all the tricks you want. Nothing's gonna stop me."

"Sas..."

But he cut off her response. His dark eyes slid shut as his mouth met hers in a searing kiss.

**note..** Hey there :) Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed this damn story. Your feedback is so important to me and I appreciate knowing how my writing is being received. I don't mean to offend anyone with the Shikamaru/Ino storyline...but I never promised that this story was Shikamaru/Ino in the first place. Like I said, Ino's getting the happy ending I believe she deserves. It just might not be the one you all expect...but this chapter is a pretty big hint as to where that subplot's going. ;) Still a long way to go, so don't let a couple of kisses (and maybe something more than that) lead you to believe that this story's almost done. I've got more curveballs than the entire Phillies pitching rotation and I love you all for sticking with me this far.

And just kidding about the Phillies...they own my heart and body. (That means you, Roy Halladay.) Phillies = World Series champions 2012. Who are YOU gonna be rooting for on Opening Day? Let me know :)


	26. An Inconvenient Truth

It wasn't Sakura's first kiss.

It wasn't even Sakura's first kiss with _Sasuke._ (That special night was tucked away in her memory; not even Ino knew about that one.)

But nothing had ever made her feel as powerless and invincible, as terrified and overjoyed, as reluctant and ready as this kiss. She could chalk it up to alcohol and hormones if she wanted to, but in this moment, Sakura preferred to put her faith in Sasuke, and the tenuous romance forming between them.

His grip was strong around her waist, his fingers tight on the back of her neck, as if to prevent her from slipping away while his mouth moved feverishly against hers. (As if she'd want to. Or even be _able_ to.) She was fleetingly grateful that he was holding her so tightly, because her knees trembled under her weight and she doubted she'd be able to stand up properly on her own. (Drunkenness or just the very presence of Uchiha Sasuke contributed to that one.)

And suddenly Sakura wished this night would never end. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held onto him like her life depended on it, opening her mouth for him and _melting_ when he released a muffled groan of pleasure.

There was nothing sweet about this kiss, nothing gentle or tender. It was a release of frustration, of pent-up emotion, of dominance. Sasuke all but shoved her up against the glass balcony door and pinned her in place with his body, his hands gripping her forearms as he drew back enough to stare directly into her eyes.

It was hard for Sakura to focus on him. His eyes were tinged red from his inebriation and something more, something wild and animalistic and fighting to be freed. His cheeks were flushed, his hair slightly mussed (Sakura vaguely recalled running her fingers through it) and he was breathing heavily, like he'd just run a marathon.

Arousal coiled within her stomach so hard that she thought she would explode if Sasuke didn't keep kissing her.

"Sakura," he growled, her name a prayer and a curse on his lips.

His fingers tightened around her arms, almost bruising, but Sakura barely noticed. Her world was spinning. The only thing anchoring her to reality right now was Sasuke's painful grasp on her and that smoldering look in his bloodshot eyes.

"You're drunk," he murmured. "I...I can't do this when you're drunk."

Rejection hit her like a slap in the face.

He had her slammed up against the door in her most revealing pajamas, had been kissing her like his life depended on it, had all but _attacked_ her with the unmistakable intent of ripping _off_ those pajamas and letting her determine if he was as good a lover as he was a kisser...and now he was pulling _away?_

She barely heard Sasuke's excuse. His honorable, gentlemanly excuse, not to take advantage of her when she was drunk, and probably not thinking clearly. She didn't notice the way he had to physically restrain himself from mauling her, she didn't see the desire burning in his eyes like fire.

All she saw, heard, and knew was rejection, something she had not experienced since her elementary school days of chasing Sasuke around like a shallow little moron, something she had not allowed herself to risk experiencing since then. It came crashing back on her like a tidal wave, that same roiling, humiliating, agonizing despair, the unique nightmare that arrived with the conviction that the one you felt so strongly about did not feel the same about you.

For a scary moment, Sakura thought she might cry.

It's what elementary school Sakura would have done, to be sure. (Not that elementary school Sakura would ever find herself in this compromising position, on the verge of having her virginity taken by the love of her life.) But the tears part? Absolutely.

But Sakura was eighteen now. She was smart and levelheaded, where little Sakura was flighty and overemotional. She was reasonably self-confident and even in her drunkenness, she knew her worth could not be determined by Sasuke's feelings for her...real or imaginary.

And so, instead of crying, Sakura got _pissed._

xoxoxo

It felt like he always thought it would, in the daydreams he would lose himself in sometimes, the fantasies that he'd concoct about her.

The problem was, it was the wrong _her._

Kiba was no virgin. Far from it. He'd experienced his fair share of girls in high school like every other normal high school boy.

Haruno Sakura, he mused, had been the Mt. Everest of smoking hot girls. She was beautiful and popular. Everyone knew her, everyone liked her. Girls wanted to be her, guys wanted to bang her, and she remained frustratingly, maddeningly, appealingly pure all through high school. It was as if the rules didn't apply to her, and that's what made her such an epitome of the female persuasion.

It's what made him so determined to hook up with her.

Now that he reflected on it, his reasons for pursuing Sakura were shallow and competitive. He'd wanted to be the one to deflower the Homecoming Queen, the Prom Queen, the valedictorian. He'd wanted to be the one to claim her as a type of trophy, the jewel of his collection; he'd wanted to win the race for her heart.

But in doing so, he'd underestimated the Homecoming King.

Kiba lay in bed, a sleeping Ino tucked neatly in his arms, and was forced to come to terms with some pretty uncomfortable truths about himself. The alcohol was wearing off, unfortunately, and with it, his sense of invincibility, untouchability. He had to confront reality.

The reality was, he'd slept with Ino.

The reality was, he'd really _really_ enjoyed sleeping with Ino.

The reality was, he would sleep with Ino again.

The reality was, he was risking his years-long friendship with Sasuke, over a girl who Sasuke was in love with. A girl who loved Sasuke back, way more than she could ever love Kiba.

He stroked Ino's sweaty forehead, combing her damp blonde hair back from her face as she slept on, and was filled with self-loathing.

He'd been meaning to insert himself between Sasuke and Sakura's (obvious, inevitable) budding romance, and for what? Bragging rights? The right to tell everyone that he'd banged Haruno Sakura, that he'd stolen her away from one of his closest friends? The right to sling his arm over her shoulder and tell the world that she was _his,_ he'd _won?_

What the fucking hell right did he have to do that?

Sure he liked Sakura. He'd had a crush on her for years. It was more than physical attraction to be sure.

But he didn't love Sakura. At least, not the way that Sasuke loved her.

He could tell, just by observing their interactions with one another. Sasuke was not one to spout random proclamations of love (like Lee had been), or to give her flowers and kiss her openly and tell her how special she was. It just wasn't who he was, and it wasn't who Sakura wanted in the first place.

It was a quieter devotion, a subtle affection that bled into all of Sasuke's actions and words wherever she was concerned. He would look at her when she spoke, smile at her before catching himself, and reschooling his features back into practiced stoicism. He would keep an eye on her, protect her from everything _because_ she was special.

It was why he'd gone on this insane road trip to begin with. Not because he'd wanted to bed the hot popular girl. But because he wanted to protect her.

Be with her.

And that made all the difference, between him and Kiba.

Not to mention the fact that all this time, Kiba had thoroughly discounted Sakura's feelings for Sasuke. He'd known all along that she loved him, but had convinced himself that, upon learning she deserved better than Sasuke, she would immediately forget about him. He hadn't taken her feelings into consideration at all.

_I'm such a fucking asshole,_ he thought, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes in self-loathing. _I fucked up my friendship with Sasuke because I wanted to bang his girl. I told myself it was cuz he didn't deserve her. Jesus Fuck. I should let him kick my fucking ass._

Well, it ended here.

He would let his crush on Sakura fizzle out, because no matter how strongly he felt about her, it was Sasuke who was in love with her. It was Sasuke who would make her happy. It was Sasuke who _she_ loved.

He considered the sleeping, wanton, fucked-up girl in his arms, and smiled.

Besides, Ino was a great girl as well.

Maybe, just maybe...


	27. Gone in 60 Seconds

"Game on, asshole." Sakura's response to Sasuke's rejection was a boiling, vengeful hiss.

Asshole. Fucking _asshole._ Who did he think he was dealing with here?

He seemed surprised at her sudden mood change, and frowned his displeasure; Sakura became semiaware that his hands were still locked around her arms, and that his breath (mint and vodka, her favorite things) fanned lightly across the bridge of her nose, rustling her messy pink bangs back and forth.

"Watch your mouth," he warned her hotly. "What's your problem?"

"You stalk me all this way," she snarled, shoving him backwards with more force than her tiny frame would suggest, "you follow me around and get all psychotic and jealous whenever someone comes near me, you kiss me, you fucking kiss me and then when I kiss you back, you just stop?"

He looked angry and astonished.

"You're drunk, idiot," he snapped by way of explanation, but it only enraged Sakura even further.

"That's right!" she shouted. "That's right, just me, just stupid drunk Sakura, the fucking IDIOT, making a fool of herself yet again, right! Right, Sasuke! Well fuck you. Fuck this and fuck _you_ and..."

"You're pissed off for no reason," Sasuke growled. "I know where this is going." He gestured to the both of them, their close proximity and the heat still radiating off one another. "So do you. I can't when you're drunk, understand?"

But she didn't. Alcohol clouded her judgment, and age-old insecurities threatened to drown her, dragging her back beneath the murky depths of inadequacy and insufficiency and never-ever-ever-going-to-be-good-enough. And fuck that. Fuck that right to hell because she _wasn't that girl anymore._

Sakura drew her fist back and punched him as hard as she could in the stomach.

There was a moment of complete, numbing shock after that, as she watched him double up, wheezing and cursing violently under his breath. Had she really just done that?

Adrenaline spiked within her and she whirled around and seized the door handle. "Go to fucking hell and leave me alone," Sakura snapped as nastily as she could, but the moment was somewhat ruined when she remembered that the door was locked. Sasuke was on his knees, holding his stomach and barely able to articulate words around his incoherent rage, and reached for her as she struggled with the door.

Before he could get to her, however, the door was thrown open. Apparently Shikamaru was not yet asleep. He'd heard them arguing and yelling at one another, and the banging on the door as Sakura fought to get back inside. In pure irritation, he wrenched it open.

Sakura took one look at him and her bloodshot eyes narrowed even further.

"You," she hissed beneath her breath, like a malediction. She pointed at him with one accusing finger like a prosecuting attorney before seizing him by the collar. Through her drunkenness, she managed to focus on his face so there could be no misinterpretation of her next words as she vowed, "You will _never_ deserve her."

Shikamaru faltered. He looked stricken, having not expected such a brutal attack from so inebriated an opponent. But Sakura took advantage of his momentary surprise and shoved him bodily onto the balcony. He crashed into Sasuke, who'd just risen to his feet, and sparing both of them a furious, tear-filled glare, she slammed the door shut and locked it behind her.

xoxoxo

Sakura was Ino's best friend.

That was the only reason she needed to do exactly as her friend asked.

So when Sakura shook her roughly, demanding that she wake up and get her shit and go, Ino listened. She took one look at Sakura's ashen, angry, agonized face and felt something stronger than sobriety anchor her to reality. She disentangled herself from a sleeping Kiba's arms and staggered out of bed to collect her things.

"Call a cab," Sakura ordered; she was not stupid enough to drive while under the influence, and she wouldn't let the others do so either. "I'll go get Hinata."

Kiba stirred as Ino dressed. "Where ya goin," he asked groggily, before registering the furious pounding on the balcony door. "Ino...what the fuck's..."

"We've gotta go now," she said flatly. She didn't have a reason other than Sakura's stricken face, and she didn't need one. "Kiba...we'll talk about this some other time, yeah? Please don't follow us. Not right now. Give us a head start or something. Please?"

He looked adorable with his messy hair even messier, his eyes bleary and unfocused, shirtless when he sat up in bed to reveal a six-pack that, she remembered, was exactly as hard to the touch as it appeared. She fought a blush and sagged in relief when he nodded clumsily and slumped back into bed.

"Thanks, Kiba," she whispered, whipping out her cell phone.

Sakura collected Hinata from the bathroom. Naruto was still unconscious on the ceramic tiles, and no one felt the need to rouse him, when he could potentially release a vengeful Sasuke from his balcony jail. Instead the girls packed their things hastily while Kiba pretended to be asleep, and took off down the stairs. A quick checkout with the night concierge was in order, and after a hasty explanation, he agreed to let them check out if they paid for an extra day.

Ino held Sakura's hand bracingly, and Sakura held it right back. They glanced at each other, both completely fucked up and neither having any idea what to do next, but they were together. And fuck everyone else. Except Hinata. She could come, too.

If the cabbie was surprised to be picking up three uncommonly pretty, extremely intoxicated teenage girls at four in the morning in the rain, he didn't show it.

xoxoxo

Sasuke was _snarling._

She had gone and misinterpreted everything _as per usual_, and now he had a sore stomach to contend with, on top of being completely stranded on the balcony while the girls executed yet another daring escape, right from under his nose.

Turning down her rather bold offer of sexytime had been almost impossible, but he didn't want her first time to be some drunken mistake. He didn't want her to look at him with betrayal, for taking advantage of the situation when she wasn't sober enough to decide for herself what she wanted.

But the maddening bitch had taken it the wrong way completely. And now he was locked outside, with an equally-unhappy Shikamaru, who was as useless as he'd always been.

No amount of pounding on the balcony door would rouse an unconscious Kiba and Naruto to come to their aid, and though he could have easily broken it down, Sasuke did not want to be arrested for a second time on this week-long manhunt. Irate, he leaned over the rail and squinted into the darkness as a taxicab pulled into the hotel parking lot through the rain.

"Shit," he hissed. He considered his options. Their room was only one story up. He would easily survive a fall, but in his inebriation, he didn't trust himself to be able to do so without breaking his leg. Spending the summer in a cast was daunting. "SAKURA!"

She whirled around to face him, green eyes crackling with heat and anger and something else..._hurt._ Sasuke swore at how badly this whole fucking night had gone, and was powerless to stop her as she turned away from him, got into the cab behind the other girls, and disappeared into the night.

"Fuck."


	28. Dirty

They had the cabbie drive them to an all-night diner and paid him significantly more than was necessary, perhaps because in the cab, both Ino and Sakura burst into tears and made the atmosphere extremely uncomfortable.

Hinata sank low in the booth, a cup of coffee in her hands while, across from her, Ino and Sakura both sobbed loudly and obnoxiously over tall glasses of orange juice. This was an unexpected turn of events, to be sure. She would have been plenty happy to spend the rest of the night asleep in the bathroom with Naruto, but being friends with Ino and Sakura meant nothing ever turned out as planned.

The _good_ thing about that was, most times it ended up even better.

Now was not one of those times.

"He kissed me, guys," Sakura mumbled. "Kissed me like he was gonna fuck me and damn it I _wanted_ it. Then he just stopped. _Stopped_. Like I was gross. Like I was so _undesirable_ he couldn't even stand to keep kissing me. What's the point of him. What's the point."

"It's just cuz you were drunk," Ino comforted through her tears. "Sasuke's a dumbass but it's cuz he's _noble._ Like a complete asshole, to his core, but he's not about to take advantage of girls. Even if they want him to. You know?"

"Oh my God you're right!" Sakura groaned, slamming her forehead down onto the table and nearly upending her orange juice. "You're right, I'm stupid, I'm so stupid...he was just being nice, and I was such a raging _bitch_, and...ugh. Ugh I'm the worst. I'm like...I'm like...I _suck._ I just suck. I just do."

"You don't suck," Ino mumbled, growling animalistically at the waitress who approached them to take their order, and thoroughly frightening her off. "I suck. I banged Kiba."

"You w-what?" choked Hinata, stunned. THAT was something she hadn't seen coming.

"I banged him. Banged him, banged him, fucked him. It was good, too. The rumors? All true."

Hinata's cheeks flamed and Sakura rolled her eyes. "But why? I th-thought you liked Sh-Shikamaru."

"I thought I did, too," Ino moaned. "But he's banging Temari, I know he is. I know that. In my heart I know it. So in my heart, and in reality actually as well, I banged Kiba. It was good. It was really good. I'm thinking of doing it again actually. Maybe he can even take me on a date. Or we can just bang again. I don't know. I don't know much at this point. Besides the fact that I've got a motherFUCKING hangover, and if that waitress gives me the stankface ONE MORE TIME, I'MA BEAT HER BITCH ASS."

"N-Naruto fell asleep in my l-l-lap," Hinata admitted, staring into her coffee and avoiding the shocked gazes of her two closest friends.

There was a beat of silence, then-

"OH FUCK OUTTA HERE!" Sakura yelled.

"HINATA YOU SLUT!" Ino roared.

"DID HE KISS YOU?"

"DID HE _BANG_ YOU?"

"We d-didn't do anything," choked Hinata, fully aware of the curious, contemptuous glares of the other early-morning diner patrons. "N-N-Nothing. It was s-sweet. We t-talked and then he g-got s-s-sick. But he f-fell asleep."

"In your lap," Sakura finished.

"Which is curiously close to your va-"

"Keep your v-v-voice down I-Ino-chan!"

"Well at least ONE of us is enjoying romantic success on this shiteous morning," Sakura mumbled. She popped a couple of ibuprofen and willed her headache away. "I just fucked up any chance I have at making anything legitimate with Sasuke-kun."

"And Shikamaru can suck my dick," added Ino dully. "Shit, man. We have to get the Jeep, remember?"

They'd left their Jeep in the hotel parking lot. Of course the guys would stake it out and wait for them to return. They'd be caught instantly.

"I've got AAA," Sakura volunteered.

"I think you need AA more, beautiful," Ino sighed, and Hinata almost giggled at the vicious glare sent her way by her best friend, who whipped out her iPhone.

"I think you need to shut your mouth, drink your juice, and suck MY dick," Sakura countered while dialing her AAA guy. "I think you'll find it's much bigger and more satisfying than Kiba's."

Hinata passed out. To her credit, it was the first time in several days.

xoxoxo

Sasuke predicted Sakura's next move. He and the other guys were dressed, packed, and ready to go, waiting in his car. Sure enough, the AAA tow truck pulled up into the parking lot and hitched up the infamous purple Jeep, before dragging it out of the lot and onto the highway.

Sasuke gunned his engine and was right behind it in hot pursuit.

He knew right about now, Sakura would be recovering from her drunken hysterics.

He also knew that when he found her, he was going to scream right in her face, and give her the biggest, nastiest headache she'd ever had. God knows she did the same thing to him, and on a daily basis.

One might question if this pink-haired _harpy_ was worth all the effort. She was a flight risk. She took everything he did and said the opposite way of how he intended it. She was unpredictable and fickle and had passed annoying several stops ago, and was gunning right for _maddening._

Sasuke didn't question it at all.

Of course she was worth it.

Any girl that could make him feel all those things...any girl that could make him feel so much _period..._she had to be worth it.

The memory of her soft lips molded against his sent a pang of lust surging through his body, and he mused that it was way too early in the morning to be so pathetic. Her hair was silky beneath his fingers, and the breathy little moans she'd released were some of the most erotic things he'd ever heard. He'd been so close, so close to showing her exactly what she was doing to him, so close to doing the same damn thing right back to her...

But despite Sakura's dramatic misinterpretation of his intentions, Sasuke did not regret his decision to abstain. When he and Sakura DID finally jump into bed with one another, he was going to make completely sure that they were both sober enough to do it properly.

It was no longer a question of _if_ they hooked up; it was now a question of _when._

He was going to see if those perfect little legs were strong enough to wrap around his waist and stay there. He was going to see if her training on the dance floor would translate well to his mattress. He was going to show her, more than he could ever say, just how fucking _worth it_ she was.

The tow truck turned off the freeway and pulled into a seedy little diner. Sasuke followed, ignoring the hangover that threatened to overtake him. He pulled into the spot beside the tow truck, and when blonde, black, and pink heads emerged from the diner, he opened his mouth to shout something needlessly rude across the parking lot.

Instead, he made eye contact with Sakura, and far from running away, she let out a weird, half-laugh half-sob before she sprinted across the parking lot and catapulted herself into his arms.

To say he was surprised was an understatement. She'd gone from kissing him to punching him to hugging him all in the span of a few hours, and his head was spinning from so many mixed signals, he was about to get whiplash. His arms remained frozen at his sides as Sakura wrapped her legs tight around his waist, her arms tight around his neck, and she burst into tears against his shoulder.

"Sasuke-kun I'm _so sorry!_" she wailed.

Well. This was unexpected.

xoxoxo

Sakura hated herself. Completely, entirely loathed herself.

The tow truck pulled up to the diner, and she and the girls paid the underappreciated waitress a handsome tip for being the second person to have to listen to their dramatics that morning, and stalked outside. Sakura had every intention of sulking in the Jeep, fully aware that the boys were on their way back to Konoha, entirely done with all of them, and that the game, and any hope she had of a happy ending with Sasuke, was over.

Instead, she looked around, and there he was.

Freshly-showered, his black hair in spiky disarray, and a thoroughly, to-the-core pissed-off expression on his face, Uchiha Sasuke looked heartbreakingly gorgeous. It was raining, as per usual in Amegakure, and he was getting wet just standing there in the parking lot, but he didn't seem to notice. He was glaring at her, but Sakura didn't care if he was mad at her, since she deserved it.

All that mattered was that he was _there._

He'd come for her, even when she was being a nightmarish, raging dragon lady with uncontrollable hormones.

With that thought in mind, she took off at a sprint, dodging passing cars and ignoring the shouts of her girlfriends. Half-laughing, half-crying, she jumped up and wrapped her limbs around him as tightly as she could before breaking down completely.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I hit you!" Sakura sobbed, clinging to him like a baby koala. "I'm sorry I took it the wrong way, you were just looking out for me and I was so stupid and you were trying to protect me from my own stupidity and it was really sweet and I was _so drunk_ I thought you were the enemy and I tried to hate you a little and so I hit you but I could never hate you, never never never because...agh!"

Sasuke wrapped his arms tight around her, his grip relentlessly strong, unyielding. She felt him smirk against her cheek as he muttered, "Got you, you dramatic little _bitch._"

Well, shit.

Apparently, Sasuke could play dirty, too.

**note..**Nope. Not done yet. Nowhere close ;)


	29. All's Fair In Love and Earlobes

Sasuke's smirk was victorious against her cheek.

When she realized her position, and how very royally she had fucked up, Sakura froze in his arms. Tentatively, she attempted, "Sasuke-kun...Sasuke-kun let me go now, please."

"Hn."

It was not in Sakura's nature to plead with anyone, it was in her nature to yell and insult and demand things, so it didn't take very long for her to degenerate into the same foul-mouthed, annoying harpy he was so inexplicably charmed by.

"Uchiha Sasuke you baboon's asshole, you put me down this instant or I'll kick your fucking ass, I'm trying to apologize here!"

"Game over, Sakura. Say it. Say I win."

"I would rather stick a white-hot fork in my eye."

"Say it."

"I will actually never say it. You understand me? Now take your hands off before I start..."

"Before you start what?" Sasuke was amused, he couldn't help it. Even with her back against the wall and absolutely no hope of escaping, Sakura still refused to submit to him tamely. He knew she didn't have ammunition against him at this point, but he would humor her, if only to further his own amusement. Damn girl owed him a chuckle or two, after what he'd been through this past week.

Sakura struggled to move, but his grip was locked. She was stalling for time, he knew, but this time, no matter what she did, it wouldn't matter. He had her exactly where he wanted her.

A pang of lust gripped him when Sakura's struggling to move turned into Sakura rubbing her hips against his. He fought hard against the familiar bloom of warmth in his abdomen, and briefly had to wonder if her movements were intentional, before dismissing the thought completely. It was an accident, nothing more, and...

HN. Her hips rolled against his slowly, and there was no _way_ that was an accident.

Sasuke's grip tightened on reflex as he fought to still the arousal that threatened to overwhelm him. Sakura lifted her face from his neck and turned to whisper in his ear. Damn girl, did she not see the fact that all of their friends were watching this debauchery?

"You don't want me to start something you're not ready for me to finish," Sakura murmured. Sasuke's teeth clenched, and he told himself he wasn't affected (turned on) by the sound of her voice, much lower and throatier than usual.

"It's not gonna work," he muttered. Not even he knew what he meant by that, and Sakura's tinkling laugh in his ear told him exactly what she thought of his counterargument.

"What's not gonna work, Sasuke-kun?" Her breath was hot against the side of his face, and to his shock, to his complete and utter _shock,_ the wanton little skank ran her tongue along the shell of his ear. He screwed his eyes shut and tried to focus on how dirty she was playing, rather than how impossibly good it felt, but it did no good, when he felt the slightest nip on his earlobe, and all bets were fucking off.

He hadn't known he was sensitive there, but he _was,_ and Sakura had pushed him too far this time. He wanted to make her first time special, but he had his limits. And she chose to push them. So fuck it and fuck her because now that he was ready to go, her first time was gonna be in the fucking diner parking lot with all their fucking friends watching. He loosened his grip, fully intent on ripping off her little tank top without any regard as to who was watching, and only then did he realize his mistake.

He heard Sakura's triumphant little laugh before she took advantage of his hesitation. She ripped herself out of his loose hold and danced backwards out of his reach. At his scandalized, accusing glare, she flipped her hair behind her shoulder and said, "I knew it would work."

With that, she flung herself backwards towards the Jeep her friends had already piled into. With a little wink in his direction, Sakura vanished into the backseat as Ino tore out of the parking lot.

"GET IN TEME!" shouted Naruto from the Jetta. "GET IN YOU IDIOT! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Apparently, Sasuke needed to stop underestimating his opponent. Or overestimating himself.

She'd found a way out after all.

He jumped into the driver's seat and took off in hot pursuit of the notorious purple Jeep, his body cooling down in time for his mind to come to one frightening realization: Sakura, it seemed, had discovered her sexuality and was using it as a weapon.

God help him.

God help the world.

xoxoxo

"That was so. so. so. fucking. hot!" Ino cheered her best friend, who was lounging in the back looking both windswept and victorious. "Sakura. No. Words. You were brilliant. Beyond brilliant. You were sexy and you had him gagging for it. I have never been prouder of you than at this very moment."

"Thank you Ino. I have never been prouder of me than at this very moment either."

"That could've gone in the Icha Icha series, you feel me?"

"Really? Icha Icha-worthy? You think, Hinata?"

Hinata was giggling. "Y-Yes, Sakura. Icha Icha w-w-worthy."

"Sasuke's got a bit of a lead foot, doesn't he?" Ino noted, glancing in the rearview mirror and seeing Sasuke racing towards them at perhaps a hundred miles an hour. "I thought we had a pretty decent head start, but here he is...he doesn't look very happy, Forehead. Maybe because you got him all hot and bothered, then dipped out last second?"

"Maybe," Sakura replied thoughtfully. "How long to Kumo?"

"Three hours," Hinata answered, consulting the map in her hands. "It w-will be nice to get out of this r-r-r-rain for awhile."

"Our more pressing issue is how we're gonna lose these assholes," Ino decided firmly. She forced thoughts of Kiba and Shikamaru out of her head for the moment; she had probably complicated matters even further by hooking up with Kiba the night before, but in all seriousness, the momentary relief she'd found in his arms from all the crushing frustration Shikamaru heaped on her seemed worth it.

For now, she needed some serious girl time.

"Forehead, what's your plan?" Ino looked at her best friend in the rear view mirror, and to her surprise, she found Sakura slumped long-ways on the backseat, fast asleep. Apparently the wild, sleepless night had caught up to her. Ino rolled her eyes. "Well, Hinata, looks like it's up to us, then. How do we throw these dickheads off?"

Hinata smiled shakily but deviously, and with her short choppy hair blowing around her from the air conditioner on full-blast, she looked slightly demented. A shudder passed through Ino as Hinata replied, her voice full of menace, "I have an i-idea."

xoxoxo

**note..** This story passed 100 reviews this morning, and I was so surprised. Thank you all so much for your support :) I'm glad to see so many of you are enjoying this as much as I am and so very grateful for your kind words and encouragement. Hope I didn't lure anyone into a false sense of security last chapter. There's a village I'm really looking forward to sending these assholes to, and some characters I'm really eager to introduce. Thanks for sticking with me this far, I appreciate it so much! :) xoxo Daisy


	30. Musical Cars

Hinata was proud of herself.

With Sakura, the mastermind of the whole adventure, indisposed (passed out completely) in the backseat, and Ino's crippling hangover impairing her ability to do anything but drive, it was down to her to come up with their next move.

Normally 'devious' was not a word often associated with shy, stuttering Hyuuga Hinata. But in her determination to reinvent herself, she found herself channeling the fun, spastic, fantastical personalities of her two best friends, and thinking as they would. She knew that when their hangovers passed, they would be proud of her as well.

Hinata's iPhone GPS revealed a list of used car lots between Ame and Kumo, their next destination. When she explained this to Ino, who was driving, Ino immediately cut her off.

"What are you thinking of, you pixie shit?" she gasped, scandalized. "I am not _trading in my beloved Jeep!_ Think of all the memories! We drove home from so many vacations in this beautiful purple chariot of good times! We had so many adventures. I lost my virginity, you shortsighted little gnome! Right in that seat where you're sitting! Me and Sai and all sorts of positions that you wouldn't be able to even _conceive _of, and right where you're sitting! In your seat! You-"

"Enough!" Hinata finally yelled. She fought off the incoming fainting spell with volume, and it surprised Ino into silence.

Now thoroughly traumatized by the debauchery that had occurred in the seat she was occupying, Hinata swallowed her disgust and snapped, "We're n-not really gonna trade it i-in. We're just gonna make the b-boys _think_ we are."

xoxoxo

Naruto shouted curses at his idiot best friend all the way from the parking lot to the highway, but if he was being honest with himself, he was secretly glad that Sasuke had lost control and allowed Sakura and the girls to escape. He was having _way_ too much fun to cut this trip short.

Getting to yell at the teme...and call _him_ stupid and useless and a dobe for once...that was just gravy.

The purple Jeep wove in and out of traffic ahead of them, and Naruto guessed that, from the erratic, slightly dangerous driving pattern, Ino was behind the wheel. If Sasuke got close enough to their Jeep, he could just make out Hinata's choppy black hair from the front seat.

Thinking about his not-so-secret crush made his cheeks flame, and he wasn't entirely sure why. Hinata was so pretty, much prettier now with that spunky haircut that reminded him of when they were children. She was, perhaps, not as extraordinarily, uncommonly beautiful as Ino or Sakura, but she was lovely in her own way. Serene and regal. And probably the sweetest girl he'd ever met.

She'd taken care of him last night. He didn't remember much, other than hugging the toilet like it was an old friend, and emptying the rather impressive contents of his stomach into it while soft, small hands stroked through his hair. Her fingers were cool and light and felt amazing. She had even gotten him some water to rinse his mouth, and he almost swore that he remembered a light, fairy kiss on his forehead before passing out in her lap, but he didn't trust his memory. Hinata kissing him, even a forehead kiss, was way too good to be true.

When yelling at a thoroughly-pissed Sasuke became boring, Naruto reclined back in the passenger's seat with his arms folded behind his head, losing himself in the turbulence of last night. They'd partied with the girls and had a fabulous time. Well, except Shikamaru, who spent the night sulking. Sasuke and Sakura had escaped outside and no doubt flipped their battle of wits and wills into a battle of tongues. Kiba and Ino had climbed into bed with each other, something that Naruto suspected might happen, and he'd spent a sweet few hours chatting with Hinata, throwing up in front of Hinata, and passing out in Hinata's lap.

He grinned to himself.

Not a bad night.

But the temporary truce was over, and it was back to the game. Naruto silently thanked God and Baby Jesus for Sakura's quick thinking and searing skills of seduction. There was only one person alive who could outsmart Uchiha Sasuke, and it just so happened to be the girl he was in love with.

"Dude, the rain's finally clearing up," Kiba remarked. "Must mean we're out of Ame. How much longer to Kumo?"

"Not long," Sasuke replied curtly. He was too focused on keeping tabs on the obnoxious license plate reading INO-HIME ahead of him to properly engage in conversation. "We don't know where they're headed _in_ Kumo, though. Could be anywhere."

"Hey, where are they going?" Naruto asked suddenly. "They're taking this exit here, Teme, follow 'em!"

Sasuke cut across three lanes of traffic with all the finesse of a Formula-One racer and flipped off three lanes of pissed off drivers with all the finesse of a nasty teenager to keep on the purple Jeep's tail.

"Maybe they need gas?" Naruto guessed.

"Probably, Jeeps are real gas guzzlers," Kiba chimed in. "Especially Ino-chan's pimped-out girl wagon."

"Ino-_chan?_" Naruto snorted. "Geez, it's only been one day since you guys hooked up. You probably know more about Ino's girl wagon than I'd ever want to hear!"

"You tryna start somethin, Uzumaki?" Kiba snarled, exposing his canines and flexing his arms.

Naruto just laughed.

Shikamaru said nothing. His bored gaze was directed out at the sunlight streaming in through the clouds. Naruto rolled his eyes at his boring friend before grabbing Sasuke's gear shifting arm.

"Wait, fall back behind this truck, I got an idea," he said, ignoring Sasuke's scathing glare; no one touched Sasuke's stick shift. (The joke opportunities for that one were endless, but Naruto, in the interest of time, would refrain just this once.) "Let's let 'em think they lost us, Teme."

Sasuke pondered that a moment before reluctantly agreeing. Of all of them, Naruto metabolized his alcohol the fastest, which meant that while the rest of them nursed hangovers, growling stomachs and foul moods, he was back to complete health in no time. Which unfortunately meant that Sasuke would just have to trust in Naruto's mental faculties (if they even existed) until his headache went away.

The Jetta pulled behind a massive cement truck. It would be impossible for the girls to make out their position, but from a far enough distance, they managed to keep the elusive purple Jeep in their sights.

As it pulled right into a used car lot.

"They're gonna trade in their car to throw us off?" Kiba gasped. "They're willing to take it that far?"

"They're girls," Naruto said by way of explanation. "They're genetically-predisposed to being fucking ridiculous at every turn. Except Hinata-chan."

"Not _now,_ dobe!" Sasuke snapped. "Keep an eye on 'em...find out which car they're gonna take but don't let them see us!"

xoxoxo

Ino was shocked. Hinata's plan was _working!_

The boys, like idiots, had ducked behind a cement truck in a foolish attempt at stealthiness. What they didn't realize was that Sasuke's engine, a vr6 and notorious in Volkswagens for its incredible volume, coupled with the fact that like every other douchebag Volkswagen owner, he'd lowered his car and removed the muffler, gave away their position immediately. The Jetta was so infernally _loud_ that you'd have to be deaf _not_ to hear it.

But this suited them just fine. Let the idiots think they had the upper hand. Now they could really ham it up at the dealership, and convince them that they were trading in Ino's beloved car. If things went according to plan, then Sasuke, Naruto, Kiba, and Cocksucker would chase down the completely wrong car, and they would be free to journey about Kumo in the glorious purple Jeep without the threat of discovery looming on their shoulders.

The last car the boys would think to look for was the one they believed the girls were trading in!

Ino had to hand it to Hinata, she realized, pulling into the dealership and pretending not to notice the Jetta slowing to a crawl behind her. For as sweet and unassuming as Hinata looked, she was equally as crafty.

They roused a thoroughly furious Sakura and hastily clued her in as they meandered about the lot, pretending to be interested in cars they had absolutely no desire of buying. Sakura, bless her, cottoned on quickly and betrayed none of her exhaustion or raging bitchiness, and was a perfect charmer to the oily car dealer who came to offer them service. Ino was perfectly aware of the Jetta full of assholes watching their every move, and smirked before asking to take a little yellow Miata for a test drive.

She liked the way it felt, the small little racing car, as she and the girls took it around the lot a couple of times, but her loyalties lay forever with the purple Jeep she'd gotten for her sixteenth birthday. There were too many memories tied to it. She didn't think she'd ever be able to part with it.

When they got out of the Miata, Ino waited until she was sure that the boys were all paying attention before clapping her hands together and shrieking with glee.

"I LOVE it!" she exclaimed, flipping her long blonde ponytail and dazzling the car dealer with a perfect smile. "How much?"

xoxoxo

Kiba grinned.

"They think they're so smart, don't they?" he snickered, folding his arms across his chest. He found a long strand of blonde hair clinging to his T-shirt, and blushed before brushing it away. "Well, we got 'em now."

"Hn," replied Sasuke, smirking as well. The two were on comparably better terms with one another; Kiba was determined to fix his age-old friendship with Sasuke and right his past wrongs, and Sasuke took Kiba's hook-up with Ino the night before as his formal surrender in the battle for Haruno Sakura.

Shikamaru said absolutely nothing. He was even more withdrawn than usual, but Kiba couldn't be bothered to dwell on that, not when they were so close to outsmarting the three devils in pretty girl skin.

Naruto was practically salivating in the front seat. Kiba had to wonder if his blonde dumbass friend was actually close to sealing the deal with little Hinata. He doubted it. Hinata was too shy to make the first move, and Naruto was painfully stupid.

Not that he'd been making many intelligent choices in the romance department, but Kiba decided that only Akamaru could judge him, and with that thought in mind, he redirected his attention to the little yellow Miata pulling out of the parking lot.

"Follow it, Uchiha!" he yelled, clapping Sasuke on the shoulder. The engine roared to life as Sasuke's quick hands shifted into first gear, and they rolled out of the lot in hot pursuit.

Not a single one of them noticed a pretty purple Jeep follow behind them, three girls laughing triumphantly inside.

Silly stalkers. Tricks are for girls.

xoxoxo

**note..** Hi, everybody! I just wanted to take some time to tell you all how much I appreciate your continued support of my story. The reviews I've gotten so far have been nothing but kind and helpful and genuinely sweet. I'm glad to see many of you get my perspective and I'm also really glad to see those of you who disagree and are still here! My goal was to present the characters as real, relatable teenagers. And teenagers are wild, fun-loving, hard-partying forces of terror, who flirt and fight and fall in and out of love. Flawed and fucked up and trying to figure out what they really want and how best to get it. I hope that's coming through and I'm so, so happy to hear such nice feedback! Thank you everyone for letting me know what you think, have a night as beautiful as you are! xoxo Daisy


	31. A Necessary Sacrifice

The city of Kumo, nestled in Kumogakure, was a mountain town. The elevation was reasonably high, and Shikamaru felt his ears pop as they pulled into the parking lot of a rustic hunting lodge several minutes after a cute yellow Miata arrived.

He would kill for a cigarette, but he hadn't had time to go out and buy a pack. His busy schedule of stalking, boozing, and self-loathing left absolutely no room for something as necessary as a cigarette run. Up here in the mountains, though, he hoped his mood might improve. The closer he was to the clouds, the better he felt.

The other boys were embroiled in this chase that he had quickly lost interest in.

Kiba had slept with Ino. That much was certain, if the loud moans and animalistic growls and rustling of sheets the night before were any indication.

How did he feel about it?

Well, obviously he didn't like it, he reasoned with himself, staring at the big cabin lodge with nothing more than vague curiosity. He and Ino were attached, somehow. In what capacity, he didn't know. But he did know that he didnt like the fact that she had had sex with Kiba. With him in the same _room._

Yes, he'd slept with Temari back in Suna. But if this was her idea of revenge, she'd taken it way too far.

Were they even now? Both of them, sleeping with someone else, and in the same week, no less. Could she really look at him with such accusation now that she'd done the exact same thing that he had?

Shikamaru didn't know. He couldn't figure out what he was feeling, how he was _supposed_ to be feeling in the aftermath of that completely ridiculous hotel party. He was numb. Curiously, thoroughly, inexplicably numb from head to toe, as though everything happening was entirely too stressful for his body to even attempt to handle. And he welcomed that numbness, because anything was better than the way his stomach had plummeted seeing the hurt and accusation in Ino's balmy blue eyes.

He remained in the car while Sasuke, Naruto, and Kiba disembarked at breakneck speed to confront the driver of the yellow Miata. His half-lidded eyes widened slightly in surprise as Kiba wrenched the driver's side door open, reached inside, seized the driver's elbow, pulled her out...

Only to find that it wasn't a _her_ at all.

Shikamaru clucked his tongue, recognizing one of the employees from the car dealership, a lanky boy who looked the type to be easily charmed by three sly, pretty girls into doing pretty much whatever they wanted; Kiba and Naruto were shouting, enraged and outraged, in his face while Sasuke turned the full force of his glare on him in punishment as the poor boy stuttered out an explanation.

Shikamaru didn't need to hear it.

They'd been duped again.

xoxoxo

He really should have known better.

The boy staggered back into the yellow Miata, his face ashen, his breathing ragged. He shut the door and locked it quickly, the task more difficult because he couldn't get his fingers to stop shaking. His boss was going to ream him out, maybe even fire him.

But that didn't matter at this point, he realized, pulling out of the lodge parking lot and trying to see through the cracked windshield. He'd escaped with his life.

The way the blonde- and the pink-haired girls had approached him was odd, and should have been his first clue. Two devastatingly beautiful girls, flirting and giggling with a lowly used car lot employee? And slipping him a 20 and asking him if he would do them a favor?

He'd accepted without a thought, thoroughly conned by long eyelashes and pink pouty lips, and was so enamored with them that he'd fulfilled their request: drove right to the very popular Kumo Mountain Lodge parking lot and waited two minutes for further instruction. The request was odd, but he was in no position to refuse the feminine wiles of the two strange girls and their cute, quiet friend.

But when a brown-haired boy with what looked to be razor-sharp canines yanked open the door and dragged him out, and yelled in his face along with a blonde-haired boy with whiskermarks on his cheeks...

...and the scariest boy, the one with black hair and black eyes and probably a black soul as well, cocked his fist and smashed it right into the windshield of the yellow Miata _that needed to be returned in mint condition to the lot..._

Well, now it seemed like a really stupid fucking idea.

He was lucky, he realized, to escape with his life. And he learned an important lesson about talking to strangers. Even the pretty ones. _Especially_ the pretty ones.

xoxoxo

"Oh, I wish he hadn't done that," Sakura winced. They were sitting comfortably in their Jeep, sharing a pack of Twizzlers amongst themselves and watching the events unfold before them, namely Sasuke, vengeful and psychotic as ever, drive his fist into the windshield of the Miata with enough force to shatter the glass. "He's gonna get that poor kid in _so_ much trouble..."

"Survival of the fittest," Ino reasoned.

"Sasuke is _scary,_" Hinata whispered.

"Tch, he is not," Sakura scoffed. "He's a complete softie. That kid's just a pussy."

"Sakura, baby doll, Sasuke's terrifying," Ino remarked. She pulled a strand of Pull-and-Peel off the roll and inhaled it like a piece of spaghetti. "Look at that. He's like Chuck Norris. If Chuck Norris was some fucking hot ninja who went around breaking people's cars to punish them."

"At least they're l-letting him go," Hinata pointed out, as they watched the yellow Miata drive off down the mountain at a pretty impressive velocity. "I can't b-believe he agreed to l-l-lead them all the w-way up here."

Ino and Sakura chuckled deviously and slapped high fives.

"Don't you feel like a creeper now? Watching this shit unfold?" Ino wanted to know, as they took in the sight of Kiba growling in anger at how thoroughly they'd been thrown off the trail.

"I feel like a king right now, actually," Sakura contradicted. "All thanks to Hinata-chan, who is even more devious than we are, Pig. Now we get to stalk _them_ for once. The most dangerous game."

The most dangerous game, indeed. Sasuke was going to _murder _them.

xoxoxo


	32. All The Different Ways

Though it killed his pride, Sasuke had no choice at this point but to call the subject of his eternal frustration.

She answered brightly on the first ring, as if she was anticipating the call, and there was no trace of sleepiness, hungoverness, or remorse in her voice, which rang out as maddeningly cheerful as ever.

"Helloooo?" she sang.

Bitch.

"Very funny," he said coolly, kicking one of the hubcaps on his Jetta and imagining it was her stupid pink head. "I bet you think you're clever."

"Oh that one? That was alllll Hinata-chan."

"Tch. You corrupted her."

"We sure did! Anyway, Sasuke-kun, you can't be mad."

"Can't I."

"Nope!"

"Why's that."

"Because I decided." He could just picture the smirk on her face and entertained a rather graphic fantasy, in which he grabbed her pretty little neck and throttled it. "Did you call for any particular reason?"

"Tch. You're gonna be in Kumo?"

"Yup!"

"Which car did you take from the lot."

"Can't tell you that, unfortunately. Nope. Not a word. That's up to you guys to figure out. Come on, Sasuke-kun, exactly how easy am I supposed to make this for you?"

"I want to know what you said to that kid to get him to go along with your dumbass plan," Sasuke said flatly.

Sakura laughed out loud, a genuine laugh, and it almost, _almost_ curbed his irritation, until she answered. "Oh, that was Ino's idea. We gave him 20 bucks, that's all."

"20 bucks to drive an hour away from the lot and get his ass near kicked by four guys twice his size? Try again."

"Well...okay, fine. 20 bucks and the chance to see two of Konoha High's most popular cheerleaders in nothing but their pompoms."

"_Sakura you little-"_

Another laugh. "Jesus, Sasuke-kun! I'm just kidding. We gave him 20 bucks and flirted with him a little. You know how Ino gets. I'm really only interested in one man at the moment anyway."

His mood improved a thousand times over, not that he'd be telling her that. "Whoever he is, he's too good for you," he hissed cattily, and Sakura laughed yet again.

"Well, he thinks he is, anyway," she said. "But then, it's not yet been determined if he's even attracted to my gender..."

"You'd better get Hinata to come up with another slick idea and fast," he snarled, "because when I find you I'm gonna kick your snarky little ass, you understand?"

Sakura clucked her tongue reproachfully. "Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun. We both know I can outrun you, outsmart you, and outasskick you every day of the week. Why don't you just reach between your legs, grab ahold of that tampon string, and give it a little t-"

Sasuke was overcome by a sudden (vivid) mental picture of reaching between her legs instead, and the back of his neck _burned._ She wasn't even _there_ and she was seducing him.

"I'm gonna finish what I started, you fucking jackass," Sasuke cut her off, and there was silence on the other line. "You hear me? I'm coming after you."

"I hear you," Sakura replied softly. There was no teasing in her voice. "Good luck, Sasuke-kun." He almost heard her smile before she hung up on him.

xoxoxo

_"You can't be that surprised," Sasuke said coolly, rolling his eyes. "You won Homecoming Queen. Prom Queen's the next logical step."_

_Sakura smiled up at him as they floated across the dance floor. He looked absurdly handsome in a black tuxedo, even if he'd ditched his Homecoming King crown. Hers sparkled on a head of pink curls, as they shared the customary spotlight dance._

_"It's just really nice winning," Sakura said sweetly. Her arms were wrapped loosely around his neck, and with the high heels she was wearing beneath her dress, she came all the way up to his nose. "Though it's probably only because you're my date, and all the other girls wanted to see their sexy Sasuke-kun in his crown."_

_He scoffed. "That damn thing...like hell am I wearing something Hyuuga Neji wore last year."_

_She giggled. She was so close, he felt the vibration in his chest. "Such a girl, Sasuke-kun," she teased. "But seriously though, make sure you don't ditch me anywhere...your fangirls are out in droves tonight and looks like they're out for blood. The second you leave me alone, they're gonna jump me and pour pig blood all over me so I'll have to kill them with my telekinesis before a bloody confrontation with my mother and then my house falls in on me and there's only the glowy-eyed Jesus and..."_

_He cut off a long-winded Carrie diatribe by bending his head just slightly and pressing his lips to hers in a sweet kiss._

_Sasuke wasn't sure why he did it. She was there, like she'd always been, teasing him and smiling up at him with stars in her pretty eyes; aside from the fact that she'd never looked more beautiful, there was nothing particularly unique about this moment. Sasuke was with Sakura all the time. She was one of his best friends. There was nothing that would indicate that this night was anything but ordinary. He wasn't sure why he kissed her. It just felt like that was the right moment, and before he knew what he was doing, he was tasting cherry chapstick and some fruit-scented lip gloss and _Sakura.

_When he pulled back, Sakura was staring up at him with round green eyes, her mouth a tiny little O and her cheeks even redder than her dress. She looked so adorable that when he smirked, it felt much more like a smile, before he whispered, "You talk too much."_

xoxoxo

Sasuke remembered Prom Night vividly. He remembered the breathless way she'd smiled at him after his impromptu kiss. He remembered the way the houselights at the rented hall looked shining on her hair and in her eyes. He remembered going back to an afterparty at Ino's...

And didn't remember much after that, besides waking up with Sakura in his arms, both of them passed out drunk in the Yamanaka's kitchen. Maybe if they hadn't been so drunk, he could have gone a bit further...

Well, he'd stolen a kiss from her that night, at any rate. Their second kiss, and probably the first one that counted. And that made for a very successful prom indeed.

So far, he'd gotten a goodbye kiss from Sakura, right before leaving for Oto. He'd gotten a sweet, romantic kiss from Sakura the night they were crowned Prom King and Queen. And he'd gotten a frenzied, insane, makeout pre-sex French kissing marathon the night before.

He smirked to himself as he slipped back into his car without any further ado, and nodded for his impatient friends to do the same. He was determined to find out every single way there was to kiss Haruno Sakura.

Bitch fucking owed him.

**note..**I based a lot of this on my high school experience. But I let Sakura win Prom Queen even though I lost. Lucky little fictitious bitch. The way she talks in this story is a lot like how I talk though: long-winded, bizarre insults that make zero sense, movie-related tangents and ridiculous sarcasm. So there's a little something about me. Go Phillies, and please review!

Next chapter: The girls attend a concert. I'm debating between Killer B and Lady Gaga.


	33. New Perspectives and Local Rappers

"Is S-Sasuke mad at you, Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked curiously.

"He's always mad at me," she replied carelessly, and Hinata was amazed.

"How do you d-do it? I can't even i-imagine fighting w-with Naruto-kun. Not that w-we're t-together or anything. But...I mean...and not that y-y-you and S-Sasuke are together either...wait, that's n-not what I m-meant! You're k-kind of together, and...oh..."

Sakura laughed from the backseat, weaving her hair into a lazy side braid. "Relax, Hinata-chan. And me and Sasuke-kun have a different dynamic than you and Naruto. You can't compare your situation to ours."

"Yeah," Ino chimed in from the driver's seat. She kept one eye on the road looking for a cheap place to grab some lunch, and one ear on her girlfriends' conversation. "Sasuke and Forehead have been into each other since middle school. They're close friends and there's so much sexual tension that everyone around them is choking on it. Fighting with her is Sasuke's way of releasing some of his pent-up sexual frustration. Another acceptable way of doing so would be to just _fuck_ her and be done with it."

"It's different for you and Naruto," Sakura continued. "You two are sweet together. Naruto's probably the kindest person in the entire world."

"And the dumbest," Ino contributed.

"Right. Which is why you guys haven't hooked up yet. You're too shy, and he's too stupid, and you're both too nice. Naruto can't fight with girls, you know. He reveres them too much. And you more than the rest of us, Hinata-chan. He looks at you like you're his personal god or something."

"Yeah, it's way hot," Ino added.

"Oh, totally."

Hinata couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was impossible for her to make sense of her situation, romantic, platonic, or _imaginary_, with Naruto, but her friends were able to rationalize it so effortlessly. Not for the first time, she was envious of her friends.

"You're b-both so smart with g-guys," she said softly, and was shocked when both Ino and Sakura burst out laughing.

"Are you _high?_" laughed Ino. "I know shit about guys, Hina Banina. I'm in love with an asshole who's fucking my worst enemy not even behind my back, so I banged one of his best friends last night. _With him in the same room."_

"I only kiss Sasuke in high-stress situations, and he's the only guy I've ever paid any attention to with any seriousness," Sakura giggled. "90% of the time we're fighting because he's too overprotective and a big shitty asshole, and I'm so dramatic I can't believe he hasn't killed me yet. Hinata we are the absolute last two people on the face of the earth who can say they're smart about guys."

Hinata was silent. So they could read her like a book, but they couldn't read themselves? How could girls like Ino and Sakura, both of them ridiculously beautiful and fun and smart and funny and popular, be so ignorant as to what they actually are?

As Hinata stared out the window at the sunny streets of a city she'd never been to before, she wondered if maybe she was as blind about herself as Ino and Sakura were about themselves.

She sort of hoped she was.

xoxoxo

The guys searched the lodge with no luck, not that they expected to actually find the girls in the first place. They were in Kumo, naturally, but they would have taken advantage of the guys' slip-up with the yellow Miata and gotten a pretty decent headstart. Not to mention, the girls had traded in the Jeep and now, they didn't even know what to car to look for.

Kiba sighed and wished Akamaru were there. His dog would be able to sniff out their slippery targets in a matter of minutes.

Especially when he still smelled like Ino and sweat and shame and mistakes and a really awesome night.

He still wasn't sure how he felt about what he'd done the night before. Could he say that he regretted it? Not particularly, and because he couldn't chalk it up to a one-time fuck-up, he was confused.

Ino was a great girl. They'd been friends for years. It wouldn't really be all that shocking if he tried to date her; witty, flirtatious banter had always been a part of their dynamic anyway. Both of them were fun-loving and liked to party and have a good time.

The problem was Shikamaru.

But he'd gone and fucked Temari back in Suna. That showed everyone exactly what he thought of Ino, as far as Kiba was concerned.

Then there was Sakura, but since Kiba had come to the realization that he just wasn't right for her, it was getting easier and easier to let go of her. He would always have feelings for her, but he needed to accept that they weren't strong enough to hold onto, and that Sakura was taken already.

That performance in the diner parking lot was evidence of that.

The whole thing was so fucking confusing. What the hell was he supposed to do. Until yesterday, he'd been head over heels for Haruno Sakura. Then, he gave up on her, but in the aftermath, had banged her best friend, and was now contemplating all the ways he could pursue something further with her instead. And the banging had occurred with the boy she was rumored to have feelings for _in the next bed._

Maybe one day Kiba would find a girl who wasn't already involved with someone else.

But till then, he thought, pulling out his phone, he was gonna see where things went with Yamanaka Ino.

Opposites attracted, but they had _way_ too much in common to ignore.

xoxoxo

They found a cute little Italian bistro with cute little Italian waiters, and Ino was sold.

Planning their next move would be easy as hell with such good-looking service. And Ino was single now; she could enjoy it.

Not that she'd been in a relationship with Shikamaru before. She was a perennially single girl, by her own choice. But despite her flirtatious nature and her love of teasing and hooking up with boys, she'd always held a part of herself back, with Shikamaru in mind. She would give other boys kisses and touches and sometimes more, but her heart? She'd always kept that for him.

Well, fuck that. Fuck that _hard._

This new mindset was liberating, she realized, as she set down her purse and cracked open her menu. Shikamaru hadn't said more than two words to her this whole time. That right there showed what he thought of her, she didn't even need to consider his possible sexual congress with Temari.

What kind of bastard didn't speak to one of his closest friends for an entire week?

Was he just _waiting_ for high school to end? Was their friendship, which Ino had always thought of as almost as strong as hers with Sakura, nothing more than a passing high school bond that snapped when tested against the scissors of the real world?

The thought was depressing. Even more depressing than the prospect of losing Shikamaru as a potential boyfriend, was losing Shikamaru as one of her best friends. To her horror, she felt tears burn in her eyes, and in a fit of anger, she forced them back down.

She was letting him win right now.

She was letting Shikamaru control her emotions, her thoughts, her feelings. She was letting him dictate her every move, and she refused to give him that kind of power. This game was far from over, and she wouldn't allow him to catch her, in body or spirit. Fuck that. She was with her girls, and shit with Shikamaru aside, she was having a _fabulous_ time.

With that in mind, she smiled. Brightly, winningly, triumphantly, and the temporarily-dazzled waiter nearly dropped his notepad. The smile flipped to a smirk. _There_ it was. _That _was Ino. Confident, shining, with men eating out of the palm of her hand, surrounded by the girls she loved most, surrounded by the girls who loved _her_ most. She felt herself come alive again, that burgeoning doubt that had suffocated her for so long start to dissipate.

Ino caught Sakura looking at her curiously, before a knowing smile lifted her best friend's lips. Apparently Sakura caught onto the shift in Ino's disposition. It was uncanny, the way they were tuned into one another, and for the eightieth time that morning alone, Ino was glad that Sakura was her best friend.

"Are you r-ready to o-o-order?" The waiter looked so nervous being in their presence that he had developed a stutter worthy of Hinata.

Ino smirked up at him. "Oh, yes. We'd really love three eggplant parmigianas, three diet Cokes, and the name of the place you think we'd have a good time at tonight."

The waiter turned _scarlet,_ and he stammered out, "W-Well...there's the...you know. Um."

His nerves choked the rest of his sentence into silence. Ino cocked an eyebrow, prompting him to continue and ignoring Sakura's tinkling laugh beside her.

"Sounds exhilarating," she drawled. "Well, that'll be all then, if you really can't think of-"

"There's the Killer B concert tonight," he blurted out, unwilling to humiliate himself further in front of this blonde bombshell. "He's a local rapper. Kinda made it big around here. I don't know how popular he is wherever you're from, but..."

"How do you know we're not from around here?" Sakura asked coyly. After seeing how much fun Ino was having messing with the poor kid, she decided she'd do it as well.

Scarlet cheeks flushed purple now that the bombshell was joined by her knockout friend, and he choked out, "You don't look like...I mean...it's...I never saw you around here before...you're all really...like...oh. Man. You should. Yeah. You should go to the Killer B concert. I'll go put your orders in."

He all but sprinted away from the table, and Ino laughed.

"You two are t-terrible," Hinata said, unable to suppress her smile.

A buzz in her pocket interrupted what would have been a triumphant response, and she glanced at the screen to discover a text from...Kiba.

Hey.

Something fluttered in her stomach. She couldn't exactly pinpoint it; maybe she'd eaten something strange? Yeah, that had to be it.

Because there was no way in _hell_ that a text message, a three-letter greeting, from _Inuzuka Kiba_ of all people, gave a girl like Yamanaka Ino _butterflies._

xoxoxo

"Dude, we gotta fuckin go to this Killer B concert, dattebayo!" Naruto crowed.

They decided to give Sasuke's abused Jetta a break, and parked it along a sidewalk before taking to the streets of Kumo on foot. It was a nice day, and they weren't having any luck driving anyway. Their bad moods at being so embarrassingly thwarted earlier that morning vanished in the balmy summer sun.

Posted on every streetlight, every store window, littering the fences and sidewalks and people's windshields, were flyers advertising an enormous man wearing sunglasses and holding a microphone. Apparently a local rapper was putting on a show at the Kumo Sovereign Center.

"He looks _awesome!_" Naruto said reverently.

"Tch. If he's so good, how come we've never heard of him," scoffed Shikamaru. He alone seemed to retain his foul mood, as he'd done for much of this trip.

"Face it, dobe, you're just bored," Sasuke said carelessly. He didn't so much as glance at a group of girls who pointed as he walked past, hearts in their eyes.

Naruto rolled his eyes. His best friend couldn't escape hordes of fangirls, even in far-off cities. Naruto pitied Sakura, who would forever have to fight off his trail of mindless female admirers, once they sealed the deal with one another.

But since Sasuke would have to deal with all the guys who salivated after Sakura, he supposed it would be fair.

But there was truth in Sasuke's words. Naruto _was_ bored. Traveling with horny guys like Kiba, boring guys like Shikamaru, and asshole guys like Sasuke for days on end got a little repetitive. The girls made things interesting; Naruto had had a great time with them at the hotel, and was looking forward to some more.

But in the meantime...

"Dude, what the hell else is there to do here?" Naruto demanded. "What's the harm? It's like 20 bucks a ticket and we got nothing else going on."

"What makes you think the girls are gonna be there?" Kiba asked. "Some local rap showcase. Doesn't seem like their thing."

Naruto deflated. His friend had a point there. The girls were adventurous and fun-loving and very, very feminine (except when it came to laser tag. There was murder in their eyes that day); attending a local rapper's poorly-attended rap show wasn't exactly their style.

"Well where do you think they went, then?" he asked.

"There's a big mall in Kumo," Kiba replied. "Like, the biggest for a million miles or some shit. And they've got Ino with them. Not to mention, if there's a Forever 21, you know Sakura's gonna be all over it. She basically lives there."

Sasuke spared him a suspicious glare, but said nothing.

Naruto nodded slowly. "Yeah, he's right...let's find this mall. Probably our best bet to find 'em. Then we can convince 'em to come with us to the concert, dattebayo!"

Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Kiba all sighed heavily.

Naruto was Naruto.

xoxoxo

"All right, girls," Ino said, looping her arms through Sakura's and Hinata's to make one three-girl chain, as they faced the entrance to the concert hall. "Let's rock this bitch."

xoxoxo

**note..**I'm sorry, you guys, I was just kidding about the Killer B vs. Lady Gaga thing! :) I didn't think everyone would take me seriously. But I will be honest: it was hard as hell not to put Mother Monster in this story. Thanks for the continued support guys, let me know what you think!


	34. Rap Crap and the Price of Beauty

Sasuke was not an idiot.

He was good-looking. Strike that. Extremely good-looking. Strike that. Probably the best-looking guy in the world. Strike that. _Definitely_ the best-looking guy in the world.

It wasn't an inflated ego, or even narcissism. It was a fact. Sasuke was completely apathetic towards his own sex appeal, and despite not giving two animal shits about it, he was aware of the effect he had on women.

It was one of the hallmarks of the Uchiha family, their striking good looks. But as far as Sasuke was concerned, that was one quality of his esteemed family that they really could have kept to themselves. His chiseled features, his sculpted jaw, the alabaster skin and high cheekbones and dark, smoldering eyes? All of that got him into deep shit almost everywhere he went.

Elementary school girls, college girls, single moms, married moms, grandmothers, it seemed that every single member of the female persuasion was attracted to his staggering good looks. Even the constant apathy he effected towards his appearance, and to all women in general, seemed to attract them more than turn them off. He couldn't go anywhere without being flocked by admirers, and it drove him _insane._

From an early age, he decided that if he ever did decide to marry, something that he knew he would have to do if he ever planned to restore his deceased family's reputation, then the woman he chose would have to be painfully plain. Ugly even. He would never be able to handle being in a serious relationship with a woman who had gone through his struggle of being really, really, ridiculously good-looking.

Because, naturally, children would result from such a union. And Sasuke would be damned if he allowed his future children to carry the curse of extreme handsomeness that he'd been blighted with all these years.

It's what made his potential relationship with Sakura all the more frightening. She was as beautiful as it was possible for a girl to be. Were they to tie the knot one day, not only would he be sentencing himself to a lifetime of beating her suitors away with a shoe, he would basically be guaranteeing any son of theirs to be absurdly handsome, any daughter to be exceedingly beautiful.

That was a daunting prospect.

But Sasuke had years to dread that particular eventuality.

A more pressing concern at the moment was the fact that they were all at a mall, of all places. A _mall._

Malls were notorious for being heavily-populated, at all times, by women.

Keeping his head down wouldn't do much good; playing football and basketball and baseball in high school basically guaranteed that he was not only facially-pleasing, but that his body was, for lack of a better term, jacked as shit. His hair was perpetually tousled in a just-got-it-in kind of way, and he found that the more he practiced disinterest, the more appealing he became.

He hated Kiba for thinking of this place.

They passed a Forever 21, and Sasuke paused. Yes, it rankled him that Kiba knew Sakura's favorite place to shop, but upon further reflection, not only did Sasuke know as well, but so did just about everyone who knew Sakura. She made no secret of how she believed the store to have divine powers. If she really was anywhere in this mall, it would be here.

Unfortunately, it was also crawling with females. A hot zone. Off limits. District 9.

"Don't be such a pussy, teme," Naruto goaded him, clapping him unnecessarily hard on the back and earning himself a patented Uchiha glare. "Go in and look for her!"

"Who knew the great _Uchiha Sasuke _was afraid of _girls?_" Kiba sneered. "I'll go in there if you want. Maybe Sakura-chan needs help _in the changing room._"

Sasuke could tell from the lack of challenge in Kiba's brown eyes that he wasn't serious. But all the same...

He stalked into the store with his shoulders squared. If _anyone_ was going to help Sakura in the changing room, it was going to be him.

xoxoxo

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, TEME!" shouted Naruto as they ran.

"FUCK!" was all he could manage to shout over his shoulder.

"JUST KEEP YOUR HEADS DOWN!" yelled Kiba.

The stampede behind them, or more appropriately, a flash mob of enraptured teenage girls, had taken one look at gorgeous Uchiha Sasuke marching into a Forever 21 and were off on a manhunt. Squeals and hearts and proclamations of undying love sounded as loud as their heavy running footsteps, the clack of heels and sandals deafening on the mosaic tile floors.

It was all the boys could do to flee out of the mall with their lives.

Sasuke, not for the first time, cursed his stunning good looks right to hell.

xoxoxo

While the boys were making a mad dash to freedom, the girls left the Sovereign Center in various degrees of disappointment.

"That was...that was absolutely awful," Sakura decided. She removed her strappy heels and was carrying them in her hand, a pissed-off expression on her face. "You'd think someone headlining a venue like the _Sovereign Center _would have _talent._"

"We were the _only people in the audience!" _moaned Ino, thinking of the three seats out of a thousand that were filled. "He must have printed out all those flyers himself! I bet that stupid kid from the Italian place was one of his relatives or something. His _only_ fan. God! What a waste of 20 dollars!"

"At least Hinata-chan got a CD for Naruto," Sakura said dully. "You know how much he likes shitty rap music, I'm sure he'd've loved Killer B."

Hinata clutched her CD looking pleased with herself.

"Let's just get back to that shitty motel we booked a room at, shower the grime of no-talent off of us, and pass out in front of Lifetime," Ino muttered.

"Yeah, and tomorrow after breakfast, let's go to that big mall everyone likes in Kumo," Sakura added. "After this waste of a fucking night, I need to hit up Forever 21."

xoxoxo

Shikamaru was glad when they reached the hotel.

This day had been nothing but exhausting.

He showered and laid down on one of the beds, not participating in the conversation the others were having in front of the TV, fully intent on falling the fuck asleep and forgetting about this stupid day already.

He wasn't even sure why he was still accompanying his dumb friends on this dumb chase. Ino hated him. Sakura didn't trust him. What the hell was he trying so hard for?

Contemplating his continued presence on this road trip, he was roused from his brooding thoughts by a loud, long vibration coming from his phone. With a groan of exhaustion, he reached over and snatched it off the bedside table and glanced at the text message that flashed across the screen.

From: Temari

I don't regret what we did. I know you don't either.

Shikamaru screwed his eyes shut as he drafted a response, sent it, and laid his phone back down on the bedside table. He fell into an uneasy sleep without waiting for her reply.

To: Temari

You're right. Fuck.

xoxoxo


	35. Bandaids and Bedmates

The next morning found Sakura trying on a series of cute summer dresses in front of the tall mirrors of Forever 21.

If any girl in the group was the compulsive shopper, it was Ino, of course. She was on a first name basis with the entire mall staff (including security) back in Konoha. But Sakura's unwavering loyalty was to Forever 21, and while Ino dallianced among different stores on a daily basis, Forever 21 held Sakura's heart and body.

"It's too loose," she said, eyeing her reflection critically. "Oi, Pig, can you grab me this same dress in a size 2?"

"What I wouldn't give to have _your_ problems," Ino said dryly. She snatched a smaller beige dress from the rack and tossed it at Sakura's head before returning to her perusal of dark wash skinny jeans on sale for $10.50. "Can you get this in a size 2? I can't even remember what a size 2 _looks _like. Must be your lack of tits."

Sakura rolled her eyes before disappearing behind the changing curtain and emerging again in a dress that fit like a glove.

"What do you think, Hinata?" she asked, spinning a few times to let the short, floaty hem whip around her.

"It looks g-great, Sakura-chan," Hinata replied. "Should I get something t-too?"

"Hinata my darling, we are shopping," Ino sighed dramatically. "And you're loaded. Like way loaded. So yes. For the umpteenth time yes. Go shop. Shop your little fucking heart out. Shop until you proverbially drop."

Hinata blushed before admitting, "My f-father wouldn't approve of the clothes here."

"He what?" Ino gasped.

"He wouldn't approve of Forever 21?" Sakura choked, as though Hinata had let loose a disgusting swear. "But it's...it's Forever 21. It's _forever!_"

"Your father doesn't think much of anything you want to do, does he," Ino snapped, angry, not for the first time, at her friend's controlling father. "I'm stunned he let you go on this trip with your two bad influence friends!"

Hinata looked stricken. "You're not b-bad influences!"

"No shit," Sakura said hotly. "But we might as well be, what with how often we encourage you to _do what you want to do._ How DID you get him to let you come with?"

"N-Neji told him h-he was coming along," Hinata confessed, having withheld this detail from her friends the whole time. "He's actually on that cr-cruise with T-Tenten."

"That's a real healthy family dynamic," Ino snapped. "Both of you have to lie just to make your father happy? God. Why don't I just adopt both of you and show you what a real family's supposed to be like, huh? Hinata your father controls everything you do and doesn't care about what _you_ want. And Sakura's parents are too drunk and superficial to notice her at _all._"

The atmosphere changed completely. Ino wished she hadn't spoken; neither Hinata nor Sakura had home lives like the one she did, with a mother and father who loved her and showered her with attention and care. Hinata's father was overbearing, controlling, and extremely strict; Sakura's father was a businessman and a violent drunk, and her mother was too shallow and appearance-oriented to give her only daughter the time of day.

Both girls had left those environments for this vacation, but it seemed that the family situation was an unavoidable topic.

They wordlessly changed back into their regular clothes, paid for their new ones, and headed back to the Jeep.

No one felt much like shopping anymore.

xoxoxo

_Tears gathered in Sakura's eyes as she ran, but she wouldn't let them fall. Fuck that. She had shed enough tears over her miserable home life, and she wouldn't waste another on her parents._

_It was unusually chilly that night as she urged herself even faster. Tears blurred her vision as the loud smack of her Chuck Taylors against the pavement was the only sound in the world of any importance. Each one meant she was one step further from the house she hated, the parents she resented and the past she wanted to leave behind._

_People glanced at her oddly as she ran, but she didn't pay them any mind. She hoped they didn't notice the swelling of her cheek, because the last thing she needed was someone to ask questions. She didn't want help and she didn't want pity. She just wanted high school to end. She just wanted to be 18 and living on her own, going to college and never returning to the little gray Haruno household._

_She came to a stop in the park. Having sprinted for so long and pushed herself so hard, she was exhausted and out of breath; ignoring the painful stitch in her side, she sank defeatedly onto the only functional swing seat, and gripped the cold rusty chains with both hands so tightly the metal bit into her skin._

_It wasn't fair. Sakura studied so hard, and had the best grades in school. She was on a professional level of dancing. She was a cheerleader and an athlete, popular and friendly and a good daughter. But none of that mattered to her father who only demanded more, and her mother who couldn't have cared less._

_It wasn't fair. It WASN'T. And despite her earlier resolution not to cry over her situation, she couldn't help it. Tears leaked from her eyes, the saltiness stinging the angry welt on her cheek. She bowed her head, certain no one else was around, and let herself cry._

_A familiar voice cut through the chilly night air a few minutes later. She would never know how he found her, how he even knew where to look, but there he was. The very last person she expected to see, given that he'd only come back to Konoha High a few weeks prior, and their friendship was nowhere even approaching repaired._

_"Why don't you leave," he murmured._

_Sakura couldn't stand to look up at him, to look into his all-knowing eyes and see his disappointment in her. Uchiha Sasuke couldn't tolerate weakness, didn't understand it, and Sakura's continued presence in the Haruno household, despite the way her parents treated her, was, to him, weak._

_He didn't understand._

_"You don't get it," Sakura choked hotly, staring hard at the ground and gripping the chains on the swing even tighter. "You don't understand anything, Sasuke, so just leave."_

_She could only see the tips of his gray Chucks, the boy version of the mud-splattered pair she was wearing, and they didn't budge._

_"What don't I get?" he snapped. He sounded angry, and she flinched. "I get that your parents treat you like shit and you stay there and take it."_

_"I don't have anywhere else to go!" she yelled. "Damn it, just leave me alone!"_

_"You have Ino. You have Hinata. You have all your other friends who'd take you in in a heartbeat."_

_"I could never ask that!"_

_"If you're waiting for them to become better parents, don't hold your breath. It's been sixteen years since they had you and they still don't fucking care."_

_"Sasuke get the hell out of here, you're making everything worse! I don't need this right now!"_

_If she expected him to leave, she was exceedingly foolish; Sasuke wasn't the type to be intimidated by loud volumes, even if Haruno Sakura's temper was notorious in its volatility. His feet didn't move, and she still didn't want to look into his eyes and see nothing but contempt staring back at her. Furious, she sprang up from the swing and prepared her exhausted legs to run away._

_Instead, an iron grip closed around her upper arm and held her in place. Sasuke's fingers were long enough to wrap around her arm completely, and with an effortless tug, he pulled her towards him, much closer than he would normally allow._

_"You can't stay there," he said sharply. "I don't remember much about having a good family, Sakura, but I know you never had one!"_

_Sasuke almost never brought up his past. His parents had been killed in a car accident, resulting in his being shipped off to an orphanage for several years, before proving that he was able to live on his own. He rarely, if ever, spoke of the late Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto. All Sakura knew of them was that Fugaku was an extremely powerful businessman and that Sasuke had dearly loved his mother. Sasuke's main goal in life was to restore the mighty Uchiha name by becoming a success._

_The fact that he introduced his family into their argument, however, shocked Sakura into looking up at him, and only when his eyes widened minutely at the sight of her voice did she realize her mistake._

_His fingers whispered across the raised welt on her cheek as his eyes narrowed in anger._

_"You're coming home with me tonight," he said fiercely, decisively._

_Sakura couldn't find the strength (or courage) to disagree with him. There was such a finality in his words, a strength in his tall, commanding silhouette framed in the gathering darkness. His grip around her arm tightened marginally before, without expecting a reply, he made a beeline out of the park; Sakura had no choice but to go with him._

_A short walk later led them back to Sasuke's apartment. Sakura had never been inside; Sasuke had only come back to Konoha a month before, and what with all the animosity and unresolved problems between them, it wasn't like they'd found time to hang out at one another's houses. Normally the atmosphere between them was charged with such tension that they avoided one another like the plague._

_To her surprise, the small one-bedroom apartment was a bit cluttered. The Sasuke she remembered was always fussily neat and precise; there were dishes unwashed in the sink (she never knew he could cook), clothes strewn around the floor of his bedroom, his full size bed unmade. Not dirty by any means, but certainly not as anally immaculate as he'd kept things back in junior high._

_When they'd been friends._

_Was this Sasuke's way of extending the proverbial olive branch?_

_He still didn't speak, merely steered her into the kitchen and, with surprising strength, lifted her up into a seated position on the counter before grabbing a first aid kit from the bathroom._

_"The kitchen, Sasuke?" she asked, a bundle of nerves; his hands around her waist sent a surge of warmth pooling in her stomach, an unfamiliar feeling but one she couldn't rule out as unpleasant. Under his sharp, scrutinizing eyes, she felt self-conscious and ill-prepared. Her hair was messy, windswept, her face flushed, and her cheek had to be bruising by now. In a simple T-shirt and a pair of jeans, she felt underdressed._

_"Better lighting," he murmured, unscrewing a bottle of antiseptic. With all the cool professionalism of a doctor, he dabbed some onto a swab before applying it gingerly to her wounded face. It stung slightly but Sakura didn't flinch. She stared at him, unable to believe this situation, unable to believe that she was alone, after all this time, with Sasuke, and that he didn't look the slightest bit unnerved._

_After making sure the cut on her face was cleaned, he pressed a butterfly bandaid over top and grabbed an ice pack from the freezer._

_Sakura, to her horror, felt fresh tears rise in her eyes. The last thing she wanted to do was cry in front Sasuke yet again, and have him think her the same frivolous, emotional girl he'd left behind before his transfer to Oto High School. But the emotional trauma of yet another violent fight with her parents, coupled with how unspeakably touched she was at the way he was taking care of her now, left her emotionally exhausted. When he turned back to her to press the ice pack against her cheek to ease the swelling, she broke down completely._

_Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, and from her elevated position on the kitchen counter, they were eye to eye with one another. Knowing he'd throw her off any second, she held onto him tighter, buried her face into his shoulder, and burst into tears._

_To her shock, Sasuke didn't slip out of her grasp. Instead, she felt one cool arm wrap lightly around her waist, loose but enough to let her know he was there. His free hand was shoved lazily into his pocket, and he let her cry._

_Minutes passed. Only the noise of Sakura's quiet sobs and Sasuke's relaxed breathing sounded in his silent apartment. She barely felt him lift her down from the counter, and before she knew it, he had guided her into his bedroom and laid her down on his bed._

_"Go to sleep," Sasuke said quietly. "We'll figure this out in the morning."_

_She wanted to protest, but his pillows smelled so good, so much like him, and the blankets beneath her were so warm and inviting. Her argument died in her throat._

_He got in on the other side and left enough distance so as not to make her uncomfortable. When she snuggled beneath the covers, he remained on top of them, lying flat on his back with one knee elevated, the other leg stretched out, just like he'd slept when they were younger._

_It wasn't enough to thank him. Words couldn't express what she was feeling, so she settled for the next best thing._

_"I missed you so much, Sasuke-kun," she whispered._

_That night, Sasuke earned back his spot in her heart, and both of them knew it. Exhaustion crept up on her and Sakura was asleep within moments._

_The best sleep she'd ever had._

xoxoxo

The guys found themselves at a playground the next day, wandering aimlessly around with absolutely no leads. Naruto ultimately challenged Kiba to some asinine contest, something along the lines of whoever could jump the farthest off the swingset could fart directly in the face of the loser. Shikamaru, as usual, opted out of participating and returned to texting some unknown acquaintance. (Temari, and all of them knew it.)

Sasuke merely slouched against the slide. Black eyes took in the swingset, and a frequently-consulted memory flashed in his mind. Sakura was at the park that day, sitting on the swings, a complete mess with a mark on her face made by a grown man's hand.

He'd been so very _angry_ that day, angry at so many things but not Sakura herself. Angry at her father for hitting her. Angry at her mother for caring so little about her. But most of all, angry at himself for being unable to save her.

She let him take her back to his apartment. She'd trusted him completely, the first he could say she'd trusted him since returning to Konoha. There was no shield in her eyes anymore, nothing but complete faith as he put her up on the kitchen counter to tend to her wound properly.

Sasuke had entertained a million fantasies about having Haruno Sakura on his counter, but none like this. Even with the daunting task of cleaning her up after a fight with her parents, he'd had the urge to wrap those long legs of hers around his waist, to close the distance between them and see if her neck was as soft as it looked, to see if those pouty pink lips could sigh his name like he wanted to hear...

But that night, Sakura didn't need him to ravish her. She needed him to take care of her, the way she'd been forced to take care of herself her whole life. And Sasuke was _determined_ to win her back, as a friend and maybe even as something more than that, if things went well enough. He'd give her what she needed.

It took all the restraint in the world not to attack her when he'd laid her in his bed. The memory of wavy pink hair against his dark blue sheets was not one easily forgotten. But one look at the bruise on her cheek and that beautiful _trust_ in her beautiful eyes cooled his arousal. There would be plenty of time for that later.

And then she'd called him Sasuke-kun. The first since his return. Warmth exploded in his chest, and a rush of fondness for the girl beside him had him pulling her sleeping form into his arms. Content that she was safe with him, that she missed him, that she _trusted_ him, Sasuke had fallen asleep, too.

Sasuke sighed as he remembered that night, the way she felt tucked securely in his arms, the way he'd slept so soundly with her, more so than any other night he could recall...

"You want one?"

He shook off the thought and looked over to see Shikamaru holding a pack of cigarettes out to him. It was unusual for Shikamaru to share his precious nicotine, and even more so to initiate a conversation, especially lately. His presence on this trip was an anomaly, since he had made zero effort to participate in their various shenanigans. Sasuke raised an eyebrow but said nothing, instead accepting a cigarette and using Shikamaru's lighter to light it.

"They're fucking idiots," Shikamaru muttered. He sat down on the bottom of the slide and exhaled one of his half-smoked cigarette. They both looked over at Naruto and Kiba, cussing one another out as they pumped themselves higher and higher on the swings.

"Aa," Sasuke replied. He inhaled deeply and let the acrid smoke burn feeling into his throat.

"I don't know why I'm here, man," Shikamaru finally said, without any preamble. "It's obvious why you're here. You're going after Sakura. Naruto loves a game, and Kiba's flirting too hard with the girls to see a problem. But me? I got nothing anymore."

Sasuke flicked ash off the end of his cigarette and inhaled again. He said nothing.

"Ino hates me. I'm pretty sure I hate myself. I like her. I think I like her. I think I like Temari. And I don't know what the fuck to do about it."

At the swings, Kiba lost the contest, and was currently outrunning an especially-gaseous Naruto, who was trying to mete out punishment from his ass. Beside him, Shikamaru was having some sort of relationship meltdown. And Sasuke reached one conclusion:

His friends sucked dick.

xoxoxo

**note..** I wanted to go further into Sasuke and Sakura's relationship with this chapter. A lot heavier than other chapters and everything, sorry if it was a downer but my goal was to put them out there as real people with a real, strong, emotional connection beyond just physical attraction.

And I obviously love Forever 21.

See you soon!


	36. Family Drama and Shikamaru's Choice

They returned to the motel in a profound melancholy.

Perhaps it was risky lingering in Kumo when they didn't know where the boys were or what they were planning, but Sakura pointed out that they had enough of a lead at the moment to throw them off for awhile. With that in mind, they slunk back into their room and changed right back into their pajamas despite the digital clock on the nightstand reading 1:45 pm.

A quick call to room service guaranteed that sandwiches and ice cream were being delivered, and once their food had arrived, Hinata was the first to break down.

"I can't stand it anymore!" she cried, fat tears leaking from her opaque eyes. "He won't let me do _anything._ All I'm supposed to do is sit at home and wait to get married. He didn't even want me to go to _college!_ Said I'd have no need for it once I found a proper _husband!_ He monitors _every single thing I do_ and I've _had_ it!"

Her stammer was gone. Apparently her extreme emotional duress provided a temporary correction for her stutter.

"It's not even as bad as Sakura's father, my father doesn't hit me, he's just so _controlling_! He has to know everything I do, everyone I speak to. He judges all my friends, he _hates_ Naruto-kun, he won't let me date who I want to, he just wants the sons of his business partners to come over for dinner and agree to _marry_ me. It's the 21st century, damn it! I don't know why I can't live my own life!"

Ino wrapped her arms around Hinata and let her friend cry desperately into her shoulder. The frustrations of their home lives could be avoided on this road trip, but not forever. There was still Hyuuga Hiashi to contend with when they returned, supposing Hinata and Neji could keep up the lie about being together.

Hinata loved her father despite his overbearing tendencies, and wanted desperately to win his approval. It was a game Sakura had stopped trying to play with _her_ parents. There could be no pleasing the Harunos because they didn't _care._

"My parents didn't even come to graduation," Sakura whispered.

There was silence as Ino and Hinata glanced at her ashen face; in the oversize T-shirt and sweatpants she was wearing, she looked smaller than usual, more fragile, like a little girl lost. She was braiding her long pink hair and her fingers trembled as she tried not to cry.

"I thought they'd at least come to that. You know? My dad pushed me so hard all those years wanting me to be valedictorian because _he'd expect nothing less_, and when I get it, they don't even bother showing up."

"They came t-to Homecoming when you w-won, right?" Hinata asked in a weak attempt to cheer her up.

"Only because Homecoming's a beauty contest," Ino replied sourly. "Her mom went to gloat about having the prettiest daughter at school, which is all she's ever cared about, and her father went to tell her what a worthless thing it was to win."

"Oh," Hinata whispered, wishing she had kept her mouth shut.

"I don't hate them," Sakura murmured. "I think I'm past that. I think I'm just _done._ I don't want to hold onto my anger anymore. I just...now that we've graduated, I never want to go back. I'll never talk to them again. I got a full ride to Konoha U so I don't need them for anything."

"You sure, honey?" Ino asked gently. "They ARE your family."

"They gave birth to me," Sakura conceded. "But they're not my family. You guys are."

xoxoxo

Shikamaru knew he was in deep animal shit at this point.

Why else would he look to _Uchiha Sasuke_ for romantic advice?

Despite his good looks and popularity with girls, Sasuke was, to Shikamaru's knowledge anyway, still a virgin, whose only romantic experiences came with Sakura, and at a snail's pace. What light could he possibly shed on Shikamaru's dilemma?

Ino. Temari. Temari. Ino.

He'd chain smoked the whole afternoon and nothing had calmed him down. Now he found himself sitting next to Sasuke, asking him what he should do.

Sasuke's answer was surprising. Shikamaru doubted he'd've answered the same way if Naruto or Kiba was listening, but they were currently chasing one another around the playground.

"You figure out which one means more to you than yourself," Sasuke mumbled. He stubbed out his cigarette on the side of the slide and let it fall carelessly to the grass before dusting off his jeans. "I'll call Sakura. We need a clue if we're gonna find them."

Shikamaru was shellshocked. He'd always suspected that beneath Sasuke's ice cold veneer lurked a closet romantic, but having solid evidence of that was mind-blowing. Sasuke spoke like a guy who knew from experience, like a guy in love.

Was Shikamaru in love as well? Did he have a girl who meant more to him than himself? Ino or Temari. His friend or his fling. His potential wife or his summer romance?

Everything was so clear to him now.

He _did_ have a connection with Temari, a strong physical attraction and great sexual chemistry. She was smart and fun to talk to, with her argumentative nature and bone-deep self-confidence. He liked her and wanted good things for her.

But he'd take cloud watching over a romp with Temari any day. It was what doomed their relationship years ago, his lack of desire to commit and put her first in the relationship. They had a connection, but it wasn't strong enough. It wasn't like his connection with Ino.

Ino was a girl who came first in their relationship because she demanded to, and over the years, he'd learned to stop questioning it. She'd muscled her way into his heart and carved herself a place so deep he'd never be able to rip her back out again. She was the potential for something more, the potential of a future, the potential for true love vs. a sexually-charged fling.

How could he have been so _stupid?_

Shikamaru knew how this would end. Now that he'd figured out his choice, now that he'd decided to give Ino everything and cut Temari loose, he knew what was coming next.

Yamanaka Ino was going to break his heart.

Because, in his indecision, he'd already broken hers.

xoxoxo


	37. Mountains and Molehills

Sasuke couldn't believe what he'd said to Shikamaru.

Apparently this trip was taking its toll on him, and he was losing his mind. That was the only possible explanation for his moment of sentimentality.

In a slight panic, he called Sakura. Much more of this and he would go completely insane. Wandering around a kiddie playground in Kumo was a complete waste of time, and if Naruto or Kiba brought their noxious ass gas any closer to him, he was going to prison for double homicide.

Sakura answered on the third ring, and her voice sounded slightly raspy, like she'd been crying.

"Hello?"

"What's wrong."

"Sasuke-kun your questions never sound like questions. They sound like demands. Scary demands. Like I don't have the option not to answer."

"Hn. You don't. What's wrong with you."

"Eh. Talking about our families. Kind of a downer, but you can't run from your life forever, you know?"

Sasuke knew about Sakura's home life. In fact, he probably knew better than anyone what really went on at the Haruno household; back in Konoha, he spent a distracting amount of time monitoring the situation, ready to spring Sakura out at any given moment.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that," Sakura apologized.

He frowned. "Why."

"The last thing you probably want to hear about is my family, when yours..." She trailed off, and there was silence. "I'm sorry to complain about it so much to you, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke sighed. At one point, hearing about anyone's family problems would have put him over the edge. At least her parents were still alive, would have been his retort. But that was years ago. He'd come to terms with the reality of his parents' death. They weren't coming back, and resenting everyone who had a living family wouldn't make them come back.

At least he'd had the security of knowing his parents had loved him, cared about him, wanted good things for him. Sakura lived with her parents for eighteen years without that knowledge.

"Shut up," he said. "You're being annoying."

"Do you have any idea how annoying _you_ are?" There was amusement in her voice. It had been years since Sasuke calling her 'annoying' had offended her. "Where are you guys?"

"Tch. You first."

"Not likely. Do you seriously not know the rules to this game?"

"This game that _you_ invented."

"Exactly. Which the makes the rules unflinchingly rigid. I can give you a hint, though, if you ask me nicely."

"I will never ask you nicely for anything."

"Then it looks like you guys are shit out of luck, doesn't it? And by my calculations...eight days with Shikamaru, Kiba, and Narutard will have taken their psychological toll on you, Sasuke-kun. Admit it. You need me."

"Never."

She giggled. Even though he was thoroughly annoyed with her and her snarky attitude, he was glad to hear her laughing. Talking about the situation with her parents always brought her down.

"Well, we're not leaving Kumo just yet, if that helps. We've been rushing around so much trying to shake you stalkers that we haven't gotten a chance to do all the kickass things we've been meaning to do on our trip, so we're gonna stick around awhile."

"What car."

"That's your fault for not knowing. I'm not happy with what you did to that poor boy, Sasuke-kun. He probably got in a lot of trouble after you wrecked his windshield!"

_She saw that? _"Who's the stalker now, Sakura? And he's lucky I didn't wreck his face for helping you assholes."

"Okay, then. Anyway I'll talk to you later, it's my turn to drop."

"Drop?"

"Oh, right. That's your hint. See you soon!"

She hung up without explaining anything else. Sasuke cursed her stupid pink head to hell and entertained a graphic fantasy that involved Sakura lying face-up underneath the back tire of his Jetta while he gunned it in reverse, and pondered her (useless) clue.

"Oi, teme, did Sakura-chan say where they were going next?" Naruto wanted to know, having wrestled Kiba into submission.

"Hn. She said it's her turn to drop. No fucking idea what that means."

Shikamaru was unusually talkative today, because he spoke up, "It's obvious where they went. Remember what we did the last time we came to Kumo?"

xoxoxo

_Sasuke flat out didn't understand why he'd even bothered to come on this trip in the first place._

_He'd been slowly but surely working his way back into his group of friends since returning from Oto High two months before. Naruto had accepted him back instantly, and Sakura was next, after his impromptu rescue mission in the park. The others were coming around and he was warming up to them again as well. Going on this trip had been his way of making peace with everyone after his defection._

_But if there was one thing Sasuke hated more than school trips, it was snow. So coming to the mountains of Kumogakure for a weekend ski trip had just been a stupid fucking idea._

_The bus pulled up to the lodge at the very top of the mountain. Sasuke's ears popped and he hated the trip even more. With vitriole in his veins, he grabbed his backpack and stalked off the bus, the snow crunching miserably beneath his feet as he headed inside with the rest of the class._

_"Hey, Sasuke-kun!" a friendly voice called. He glanced up to see Sakura coming towards him looking impossibly cute in a little white ski jacket and matching boots. A headband pulled her hair back out of her face and her hands were covered in little pink mittens, her cheeks flushed from the chill._

_Okay, maybe it wasn't _THAT_ bad._

xoxoxo

"They went snowboarding!" Naruto yelped, clapping a hand to his forehead. "We gotta get the hell up the mountains, teme! There's no _way_ they can outrun us there!"

xoxoxo

"This was a _fabulous_ idea, Hinata," Ino decided, modeling her rented skiwear for her friends. "Kumo has snowcapped mountains yearround. This is a totally badass way to spend the summer. Especially cuz once we head back down the mountain, we can hit up the hotel pool cuz it's fucking SUMMER down there, y'all."

Hinata flushed with pleasure that her idea had been so happily received. They hadn't been up to the mountains since that weekend trip with school two years ago, and after the downer of a conversation they'd had earlier, a couple hours of pure fun was exactly what they needed.

Sakura held a snowboard and her eyes shone at the prospect of height and speed and adrenaline. If Hinata was the sensible one and Ino the shopaholic, Sakura was the adventurous one. Thoughts of shitty home lives and frustrating boys and bad concerts and cheap hotels flew out of her mind as she eyed the massive hill.

"All right, ladies," she said. "Last one to the bottom buys dinner!"

xoxoxo

**note..** Hey, everyone! Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate the support! If you're looking for lemon, unfortunately, you're probably not gonna find it in this story. Yeah there's gonna be banging, but I'll cover the leading-up-to-it part and then suggest the rest, just because I have a lot of young'uns reading this whose innocent minds I cannot corrupt with my filthy thoughts.

That being said, if you have not already done so, go out and bang someone. I guarantee you will not be disappointed. KIDDING. (No I'm not. Seriously. Go have fun.)

See you soon!


	38. Third Degree Burnnnnn

Ino took to the slopes a few times, but found herself checking her phone more and more frequently instead. Finally, she gave up and headed into the lodge to grab some hot cocoa, while Sakura and Hinata continued to race down the mountainside. She ordered a mug from the hotel restaurant and curled up in front of a roaring fire, iPhone in hand.

An unread text from Kiba was waiting for her.

From: Kibaaaa

Hey there, hot stuff.

She blamed the sudden heat in her cheeks on the warmth in the ski lodge. There was no way she was _blushing_ like some girl with her very first crush.

And over somebody like Inuzuka Kiba at that! He was the boy version of her. Loud and obnoxious and a hot drunk mess. Things would never work out between them, they were just _too_ similar.

But somehow, that mattered less than she felt like it should. She was having a good time flirting back and forth with him, now that she'd relinquished any hope of a relationship with Shikamaru and he seemed to have given up on Sakura as well. Their drunken sex marathon a few nights prior had certainly been plenty of fun, and at the very least, she discovered they were sexually compatible.

If she was having such a good time, why should she dismiss Kiba as a serious contender in her quest for romance? He was a good person, and besides his smelly dog, she couldn't think of a single thing to fault him for.

And when he complimented her, butterflies, actual butterflies, exploded in her stomach. Not even looking into Shikamaru's fathomless black eyes could accomplish that. Kiba made her giddy.

_Frankly, I'd be stupid NOT to pursue something with him,_ she thought, taking a sip of the too-hot cocoa and cursing when it burned her tongue. _But I have to be sure he's serious about it. With my luck, he'd probably end up in bed with Temari, too._

She rolled her eyes, pissed off with her own train of thought, and blew on her cocoa before lifting it to her lips for another swig.

"Well hey there, gorgeous, fancy seeing _you_ here."

Ino reacted faster than lightning.

Her elbow flew up into the face of the suave guy behind her trying to chat her up. There was a crack, a suspicious-sounding crack that often accompanied a broken nose, followed by a familiar voice shouting, "HOLY SANTA CLAUS SHIT WHAT THE FUCKING HELL!," and then a body hitting the floor.

Ino jumped to her feet and whipped around, eyes wide in horror as she saw Kiba himself, kneeling on the ground and holding his nose, which was currently _gushing_ gores of blood all over the plush antique carpet.

"Uh...hi, Kiba?" she squeaked. _Oh crap they found us oh crap oh crap I broke Kiba's nose he'll probably hate me but he's so cute so I hope he gets over it and we totally bang or some shit and I hope the doctors can put his nose back on because I can't bang him if there's a hole there instead it'd just be too tragic and..._

Naruto popped up behind the couch she'd been sitting on as well. He took one look at Kiba, doubled over in pain and trying to keep the blood in his nose where it belonged, and burst out laughing.

"SHE GOT YOU GOOD YOU ASSHOLE!" he howled. "DATTEBAYO!"

By now, they had attracted a fair amount of attention. Everyone was looking at them with wide eyes, three teenagers who were violent and rowdy and everything every single adult ever despised in a teenager. Ino's eyes narrowed as she snapped, "What the hell are you all looking at? M.Y..B!"

"The hell does that mean?" Naruto wondered, tears of mirth streaming from his eyes as he skillfully avoided vengeful retaliatory punches from Kiba.

"Mind your own fucking business," Sasuke clarified, emerging from behind the couch as well with his arms crossed. He looked annoyed and smug all at once, a typical look for him.

_Three against one flat out is unfair,_thought Ino. _Sakura, Hinata, where the hell are you guys?_

"Give it up, Ino, we got you," said the fourth member of their entourage. Ino stiffened and whirled around to see Shikamaru, speaking to her as if nothing was wrong, as if nothing had changed between them. He was wearing a coat and jeans, his ponytail hidden by a beanie, and he smelled like cigarettes.

A devious smirk crossed her face as she approached him with slow, measured steps, rather like a fox who had caught a particularly fat, naive squirrel. He had his hands in his pockets as always, and didn't flinch when her smirk widened.

"Missed you, Shikamaru," she said sweetly.

He raised an eyebrow, and stuttered out a protest when she slipped two fingers through one of the belt loops on his jeans. The other guys' eyes widened; on the floor, Kiba let out an angry snarl.

Until she glared at Shikamaru fierce enough to burn a hole through his head, hissed, "See how much use you'll get out of your precious dick after this," and emptied the rest of her cocoa right down his pants.

There was a moment of complete silence throughout the entire lodge. Everyone saw it, everyone felt Shikamaru's pain as though it were their own, and finally, Naruto collapsed to the floor in _hysterics._

"OH MY FUCKING CHRIST BABY JESUS!" he yowled. "INOOOOOOO! YOU ARE AMAZING!"

Shortly thereafter, Shikamaru collapsed to the floor in hysterics as well. Only instead of peals of laughter, he was releasing screams of hellacious agony, holding himself and rolling around on the carpet cursing Ino's name. Kiba momentarily forgot his broken nose and burst out laughing as well. Even Sasuke couldn't help the dark chuckle that escaped him, and the rest of the lodge followed suit.

_I cannot believe how fucking good that felt, _thought Ino, staring at a writhing Shikamaru in amazement. She set the empty mug down on the coffee table, grabbed her coat, and knelt beside Kiba to plant a kiss on his cheek.

"Call me later, huh?" she asked him sweetly, and he looked up at her, his face covered in blood, his eyes watering from the impact, and a roguish grin crossed his features as he nodded in affirmation. With that, she ruffled his hair fondly and danced right out of the lodge, leaving four boys in hysterics, two boys in pain, and one boy head over heels for her, broken nose and all.

xoxoxo

His nose hurt like _hell._

She'd gotten him real good. A solid elbow right to the face. It only took nine pounds of pressure to break a nose, and Ino was deceptively strong. He didn't want to imagine how much force was behind that.

He was starting to like her. Really like her. The kind of like where, if he wasn't careful, he ran the risk of starting to love her.

Ino, like Sakura, and Hinata for that matter, was the kind of girl who commanded boys' hearts. If he didn't watch his step, she'd have him eating out of the palm of her hand in no time.

Sasuke and Naruto ran to find the girls, while he and Shikamaru nursed themselves back to relative health in the bathroom. Kiba stood in the handicapped stall, staring at his reflection in the mirror and trying to coax his nose back into its previous position. Ino's dastardly elbow had smashed it into an unrecognizable shape, the type of shape one makes with the purple Cranium clay trying to model something no one would ever be able to guess. Tweaking his nose now, even gently, brought on a wave of tears, but he really felt for Shikamaru in the next stall, who was attending to "what was left of his dick."

"I feel you, man," Kiba called sympathetically.

"It's so red," Shikamaru whispered. "So _red._ I think these are third degree burns. That bitch third degree burned me."

_You burned her first,_ Kiba thought dryly, but now wasn't the time to rub salt in the wound. (No pun intended.)

Oh hell. Pun intended.

"You think it'll ever work again?" Kiba asked, unable to keep the grin off his face. In a way, he had to thank Shikamaru's dick. If he hadn't used that dick on Temari, then Ino wouldn't have given up on him and jumped into bed with Kiba. In a way, he was very grateful. To whatever was left of it.

"It's just a burn," Shikamaru snapped, foultempered in the wake of this humiliating injury. "Of course it'll work again. And in the meantime, you can suck it."

"Hey, guys!" Naruto's loud voice reverberated painfully off the tiles of the massive restroom as he swept inside. "If you'r done being pathetic and the biggest pussies in the history of ever, we got good news!"

"What could _possibly_ be good news at a time like this?" Kiba snapped. "My nose looks like ham and Shikamaru's dick got burnt off!"

Naruto burst out laughing again as Shikamaru cursed them all from his stall. Saske's impatient voice interjected with, "There's a huge blizzard coming this way. They're locking down the lodge. All of us are stuck here for the night."

"And how in the hell is that a good thing?" Kiba demanded. "We can't afford to stay in a place like this!"

"They're comping the room for us to make up for the inconvenience," Naruto said gleefully. "A free night here, all expenses paid! But the best part?"

Kiba heard, _heard_ Sasuke smirk.

"The girls are stuck here, too. We've got 'em."

xoxoxo

**note..**Things have gotten a tinge dull and draggy lately in Catch You Later, so hopefully this spices things up! Next chapter: The Most Dangerous Game, ski lodge edition. I'm really on a writing kick right now so hopefully I can crank out another chapter or so tonight!

**dedicated to**.. Any girl who has ever wanted to dump a mug of cocoa down a boy's pants. Put your paws up.


	39. Nosebreaker McPenisburn

This was an official worst case scenario.

"Didn't anyone think to check the fucking _weather_ report before we came up here?" Ino moaned.

She, Hinata, and Sakura were holed up in the only sanctuary they had available to them at the moment: the girls' bathroom. The boys would never dare to enter here to look for them for fear of incurring the wrath of women everywhere, but they would have to get out and eat sometime.

The blizzard had been an unforeseen catastrophe.

Now, they found themselves stranded, completely isolated up at the fancy ski lodge they would never be able to afford otherwise, with four boys hellbent on hunting them down like prize bull elephants.

"You made everything worse, Pig," Sakura hissed scathingly. "You broke Kiba's nose and then scalded Shikamaru's dick off for good measure? They're going to _murder_ us!"

"And what a good p-place for it!" Hinata groaned. "They'll t-toss us out into the s-snow like the Sh-Shining!"

"At least I didn't burn Sasuke's dick off, right?" Ino said optimistically. "He's way scarier than Shikamaru. Plus I'd feel guilty if you went your whole life without experiencing fine Uchiha peen, Forehead. Shikamaru deserved it, did he not?"

"Oh, he totally did," Sakura agreed, blushing at the mention of 'fine Uchiha peen'. "My point is, it could've waited until AFTER the blizzard that strands us in this very Shining-reminiscent hotel with boys who have been hunting us for _days_, hellbent on killing us and bathing in our blood."

"Well, we've got to come out sometime," Ino said decisively. "Why don't we split up, yeah? We're too easy to find if we're all together."

"Finally a good idea out of you, Nosebreaker McPenisburn," Sakura said, while Hinata giggled and Ino smirked. "The bravest among us will venture out into the hotel to scout out our room. That is obviously me. When the coast is clear, I will send word to you. No child left behind."

"C-Cover your hair!" Hinata piped up. "It's a dead giveaway!"

"Good thinking, my child," Sakura replied. She faced her reflection in the mirror and piled her dead-giveaway pink hair up on top of her head before hiding it with a beanie. "I better wear a disguise, too. Ino let me holla at your mascara. Hinata, grab my sunglasses out of my bag."

Five minutes later, and Sakura was disguised as completely as she could, given the circumstances and their limited supply of materials. Her pink hair was hidden beneath a cap, her sunglasses concealing her face. A porn star mustache had been drawn across her upper lip with mascara, and she was currently wearing every piece of clothing she'd brought with her underneath her ski jacket, to give the illusion that she was much thicker than she actually was.

"How do I look?" she asked her friends. "Convincing?"

Ino was laughing. "You look like that kid from A Christmas Story," she chortled. "The one who can't walk cuz he's wrapped up in all those coats and shit. Also like Hitler. A pale, small Hitler. Don't ever shave your head, this is not a good look for you."

"Very funny, McPenisburn," Sakura snapped, ignoring Hinata's laughter joining Ino's. "Will it convince the boys if I run into them?"

"Yes, yes, yes, babydoll. People would line up to see the KHS Homecoming Queen decked out like a tiny, fat Christmas Nazi. Matter of fact, let me just get a picture of you, and..."

Sakura's heavily-gloved hand stopped her as she reached for her phone. "One _click_ of that camera phone," she whispered threateningly, "and that picture I have of you in your _nightly beauty regimen_ goes viral!"

"You wouldn't." The color drained from Ino's face.

"Oh, yeah, I would," Sakura vowed grimly. "I'm talking Facebook AND Tumblr, bitch. I'll go dig up my MySpace password and put it there, too. I'll make a Twitter even though I hate it and with one little button, that picture will be all over the Twitterverse. I will tweet you into a humiliation so malignant, you will have to commit ritual seppuku to spare your family from dishonor. Understand?"

Ino pocketed her phone again. "Yes, ma'am," she whispered.

Sakura nodded firmly and squared her shoulders. "See you on the other side," she said, saluting her best friends and gripping the room key they'd been issued before slipping out of the girls' bathroom.

Room 652.

Of COURSE they'd be given a room on the sixth floor!

Sakura slipped nonchalantly past an elderly couple, who gave her a few weird looks but said nothing accusatory. She crossed inconspicuously through the lobby and headed towards the elevator, but stopped herself.

Surely Sasuke would have thought to put one of the guys on guard duty at the elevator. Once she stepped inside, she would be trapped like a bug on a card with no way out. And if she was going to get caught, it _wasn't_ going to be in this stupid disguise.

That would be _humiliating._

No, she would need to take to the stairs. And in her current get-up, with about six layers of clothing padding her small frame beneath an oversize ski jacket, that would be no small feat. She whimpered slightly, wishing she hadn't gone balls to the wall with her snowboard back on the mountain, and slipped stealthily towards one of the staircases.

So far, so good, she reasoned, climbing slowly, cautiously up the steps. She was sweaty already from the stifling clothing, but her friends were counting on her to complete this mission.

She made it three floors before the first complication, in the form of Kiba.

To her horror, her mind-numbing horror, he was standing guard in the third floor stairwell, brown eyes sweeping over the various hotel patrons coming and going along the way, arms folded in front of his chest. His nose was swollen, bless him, but it didn't appear to be affecting his concentration.

Sakura took a deep breath and headed past him without making eye contact. It was only after she heard him inhale that she realized her mistake...

_Shit!_she thought in a panic, eyes wide behind her sunglasses. _Shit motherfucker shit everything shitshitBALLS. Kiba can sniff out anyone, he knows my perfume, he knows my scent, oh my God we're fucked, we're sideways fucked, backwards fucked, fucked from all angles oh God why ME?_

He inhaled...

And then he sneezed.

"Fucking elbow," he muttered under his breath, without so much as a glance in Sakura's direction. She continued past him, numb with relief.

_He can't sniff ANYONE with that broken nose! _she thought in incredulous joy. _Oh God, Pig, I'll never blackmail you again, you really saved my ass this time!_

She reached the fifth floor, and nearly exhaled in relief. One more flight, and she was homefree.

Until complication number two arrived, in the form of Naruto.

_Oh, no,_she thought, terrified. _If NARUTO catches me, I'll never live it down!_

Naruto was posted in the fifth floor stairwell, but he seemed to be far more interested in the cup of ramen Sasuke must have bribed him with in exchange for guard duty. He was sitting on one of the stairs, slurping as much of the pasta into his mouth as he physically could without choking.

"Evenin, son," Sakura rumbled, masking her voice and hoping it didn't sound as squeaky as she thought it did. She moved to walk past him, but he stopped her.

"Hey, you look way hot," he observed, examining her curiously.

Sakura almost took it as a compliment before realizing her actual features were hidden, she was masquerading as a guy, and he was referring to the sweat on her forehead. "It's my prostate," Sakura explained before she could stop herself.

_What the fuck is wrong with you?_she chastised herself. _Your PROSTATE?_

"I've heard that can happen," Naruto said sympathetically. "Hot flashes, they call it. It happens to men with big prostates."

This conversation was so riddled with medical inaccuracies that Sakura had to physically suppress the urge to correct him. Instead, she was faced with an exciting prospect: Naruto was _stupid. _Could luck, sheer luck, get her safely to her room?

"Right," she said gruffly. "So I'm just gonna head to my room and ice my big prostate."

"You do that, old man," Naruto said, returning to his ramen. "Oh, and if you see any girls, these three megahot girls, a blonde, a chick with pink hair and this cute little fairy girl with black hair, can you let me know? They're our bitches and they be gettin rowdy, dawg."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. He'd pay for that remark later.

"Sure will," she mumbled instead. "Have a good night, son."

She scaled the last remaining staircase, and saw Room 652 at the end of the hallway. Unguarded, perfectly undisturbed.

She nearly vomited with relief and hurried to the door. One quick swipe of her room key and she was inside. Free and clear. Safe and sound.

With a whoop of joy, she slammed the door shut behind her.

And locked it.

And turned around to face Uchiha Sasuke, sitting in the desk chair with his arms folded, a victorious smirk on his face. Like a movie villain. Really, all he was missing was the white cat; Sakura, in naked panic, imagined him stroking a furry white feline to amuse herself into reacting, but it didn't work.

"Cute disguise, Sakura," said Sasuke.

xoxoxo

**note..** This, like most of this story, is semiautobiographical. The disguise, the ski lodge, etc. Only mine was a game of Hide and Seek with my friends. And no prostates were mentioned. And vodka was involved. A lot of it.

On a serious note, thank you SO MUCH to my reviewers. You're all wonderful for tolerating my circus of a story and I'm glad so many of you enjoy it. I'm on a creative kick right now, so expect the next chapter tonight! Love you, all.


	40. Revenge: Best Served Hot and Bothered

Sasuke had been through quite a bit on this road trip.

He'd been led around by the nose for over a week.

He'd been humiliated. Duped. Chased down by fanatical fangirls. _Arrested._

So to say that it was supremely satisfying, seeing a cross-dressing Sakura trip directly into his trap like an adorable little transvestite would have been the understatement of the century.

This was going to be so _sweet._ If there was one area Sasuke specialized in, besides baseball and streetfights and general badassery, it was _revenge._

Poor little Sakura. He would have pitied her. If she hadn't gotten him all hot and bothered in the diner parking lot back in Ame, that is. And if she hadn't dropped him like yesterday's newspaper in the elevator back in Suna. And if she hadn't gotten him fucking _arrested._

She faced him with her adorable little mouth wide, her eyes hidden by large sunglasses but he had no doubts that they were wide, too. Like a kid with her hand in the cookie jar. Guilty guilty guilty.

"Um, who?" Her attempt to make her voice sound gravelly and masculine was laughable, as it came out as more of a high-pitched shriek of panic.

He was on his feet in a second, and before she could deck him, he plucked the beanie off her head and watched as long, silky curtains of thick pink hair spilled down her back.

"Fuckshitter," he heard her whisper, and his smirk widened at her obvious guilt. "Well, it was nice seeing you again, Sasuke-kun, but I've got a prostate to go ice down, so..."

Gross.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Sasuke said, shaking his head. "You're not going anywhere."

"Ew, jerk," she snapped, unaware of how perfectly hilarious she looked with that mascara mustache still on her upper lip. And how hampered her movements were, with the eighty layers of clothing she was wearing to give the illusion of girth. "You're such a villain, Sasuke-kun, you know that? Geez. Get out of our room!"

"This is _our_ room," he informed her smugly. "We got the concierge to give you the same key."

"Clever," she remarked, unable to deny him that. Sakura, he knew, was a girl who gave credit where credit was due. "But I knew all that already."

Lying. He chuckled.

"Oh, did you."

"Oh, yes. I knew your dastardly scheme all along!"

"Hn?"

"Yup! I came up here to...um...seduce you."

"In that?"

He gestured to the stifling clothing she was wearing. "This is my sexy outfit, thank you very much," she huffed indignantly. "Rude. I turned many a head this evening."

"Hn. And the 'stache?"

"Um. Roleplay?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I expected better from you, Sakura," he sighed in disappointment.

"You know this doesn't count _at all,_ right?" she shot back dryly, rubbing her mustache off on the back of her hand. "This was an Act of God, this blizzard."

"You're desperate, Sakura," Sasuke murmured. Without the mustache, she looked completely fuckable, even with all the clothing on. He could easily take care of that. The seduction thing was sounding more and more appealing. "Just admit I won."

"Never," she sniffed. "It'll take more than that to make ME surrender. Besides, you have to catch all of us, remember?"

Sasuke grinned and in the span of a second, had her on her back on the floor. He sat on her stomach to keep her in place, and tried not to let his rampant hormones completely overtake him at the undeniably sexual position they found themselves in.

"Get off me, you fat beluga!" Sakura yelled. "Jesus, Sasuke, you're gargantuan! I'm already sweating my dick off in here!"

"Not funny!" Shikamaru called from the bathrom, where, Sasuke knew, he was icing down his junk.

"Where's your phone," Sasuke murmured.

"Never never never will I help you, Wide Load."

"Then I'll find it myself."

Sasuke knew from experience that Sakura had, for lack of a better phrase, a fucking killer body. She was athletic and feminine all at once, and the only fat she seemed to have was concentrated into her cheeks and a balcony you could recite Shakespeare from. Even if this pat-down was just for phone-locating purposes, it was impossible not to take some considerable note of Sakura's extremely perfect figure.

"Satisfied?" she snarled.

"Not even close," he smirked. That shut her up.

His hands traveled through the different layers before locating her iPhone in the pocket of her jeans. Grinning in triumph, he drafted a text message to Ino, reading, "Homefree! Boys are gone! Come up to the room!" He pulled off her sunglasses and showed it to her so she could read it properly.

"You wouldn't," she hissed.

He smirked. "Hn."

Message sent.

xoxoxo

Sakura was hot.

Not just hot, but hot in two different ways. Hot, because she was wearing all her clothes and positively _roasting,_ and hot as in, Sasuke was straddling her waist right now and the _only phrase_ going through her mind was 'fine Uchiha peen.'

He needed to get up, and fast. Or at least let her take some of her clothes off. Then get back on top of her. With less clothes on his part, too. No clothes, actually.

She truly hoped the girls wouldn't fall for the text Sasuke had sent from her phone. If so, the game was over, and she'd been caught in the most undignified position possible by the smuggest, sexiest bastard on the face of the earth.

She'd said she would call them. Hopefully they would adhere to that, and stay in the bathroom where they were safe.

He looked _gorgeous_ in his winter wear, a pair of dark blue jeans and a long-sleeved V-neck that showed off his mighty Uchiha clavicle. His black bangs fell into sinful black eyes, and the smirk on his face was so arrogant she would have hated it...if it wasn't sofa king SEXY.

Sakura wished that her disguise had been something a lot cuter than 'fat, short Christmas Nazi.'

"You think it was fair?" Sasuke asked coolly. "What you did to me in the parking lot back in Ame? You think that was _fair?_"

Sakura blushed, remembering his reaction when she'd not-so-accidentally licked his ear. How was _she_ supposed to know that stoic Uchiha Sasuke had a sexy trigger point?

"Um...all's fair in love and war and road trips?"

He shook his head and bent to whisper in her ear, "You got me hot that day, _Sakura._"

To her eternal, everlasting shame, she let out a gasp. Not just any gasp. The kind of gasp a wide-eyed ingenue gasped in the 1940's romance movies she loved so much. An _Ingrid Bergman _gasp. A turned-on gasp that usually preceded hot 1940's sex.

"And now," he murmured, his breath fanning against her ear and making her stomach _explode_ with bubbles, "I'm gonna get you hot, too."

xoxoxo

Sasuke knew, that at this moment, revenge was more important than screwing the pink-haired nuisance beneath him until they both passed out.

That being said, it was increasingly difficult not to notice Sakura's reactions. And not to _react_ to those reactions.

This was all about getting even. This maddening little _troll_ had turned him on for the sole purpose of escaping from him. He had every right in heaven, earth, and the seven hells to give her a taste of her own medicine, and God was it going to be sweet.

He hadn't counted on inadvertently turning _himself_ on with this knockout pinned between his legs, but he was Uchiha Sasuke, master of emotions and women and vengeance. It would be nearly impossible, but he would absolutely find a way to control his hormones and exact the appropriate revenge on his feisty female foe.

She was clearly aroused, that much was obvious judging by her half-lidded eyes, pleasured gasps and come-fuck-me way she was rolling her hips against his. Which meant he could commence with part two, and get her hot. Hot as hell. Only not in the way she was expecting.

She'd done most of the work herself, honestly, dressing as warmly as she had. She was already sweating and tired. He'd just keep turning her on until the snarky bitch melted, because she deserved nothing less for torturing him on this whole stupid trip.

"I'm impressed you made it past Kiba and Naruto," he whispered in her ear, and just for shits and gigs, he traced his tongue along the shell, like she'd done to him. She gave a girlish squeal of delight before her eyes widened in horror at her body's traitorous reactions. "But you didn't think you'd be able to fool me, did you?"

"Ino burned Shikamaru's dick off," Sakura hissed spitefully, obviously furious that he was succeeding in turning her on. "And she broke Kiba's nose. And I'm going to kill you for this."

Sasuke smirked and asked, "Kill me for what? I'm not making you _uncomfortable,_ am I?"

Her eyes narrowed into two green slits. She could not have been more adorable.

"Fine," she bit out finally. "_Fine._ This game you're playing? I _invented_ it, bitch. Understand? There is nothing you can do to me that will make me lose focus. Nothing you can do to me that I can't do back, and twice as hard, you feel me? So _bring it on, you dirty slut._"

His smirk widened.

Ohhh, she was going to regret that.

xoxoxo

**note..**Me again! I am on a _roll,_ y'all. I'm having way too much fun with this story, so check me out for another update tonight! I am monopolizing fanfiction. OH YEAH UPDATES YEAHHHH.

Love you, guys.


	41. Snuggleuppagus

"A text from Sakura!" Ino exclaimed. "She made it! We're good to go!"

"W-Wait," Hinata said, stopping her friend before she left the bathroom. "Remember Sakura s-said she'd c-call us when she r-reached the room. Not text."

"So? She probably didn't feel like it."

"No. We need t-to hear her voice."

"You don't think..."

"It may have b-been a trap," Hinata said grimly.

"Oh, no," Ino worried. "You're saying...they might have grabbed her, stolen her phone, and texted us to lure us out into the open?"

She nodded.

"Well, tits," Ino said. "Now what?"

xoxoxo

"Some friends you have," Sasuke scoffed. Ten minutes had passed since he'd forged the text to Ino, and they still hadn't made an appearance.

"Smarter than yours," Sakura snapped. "At least mine know that prostates don't give you hot flashes!"

"I won't even dignify that with a response."

"Since you're so attracted to me you can't keep your hands off me," Sakura hissed, "can I at least take some of my clothes off?"

Did she _imagine_ the flare of arousal in his eyes?

"No fucking way," Sasuke murmured. "You deserve that."

"But Sasuke-kun," she whined, "you're having such a good time and I'm stuck here in all these layers and I want to have fun, too!"

"What kind of fun?" he asked, and to her complete shock, he kissed her cheek. Her jawline. Down to her neck, and her body _stiffened_ at the contact.

_If I was a guy, I'd have such a boner,_ she thought, biting her lip.

"You know," she murmured, batting her eyelashes up at him. "The kind of fun that would be way awesome if I was wearing less clothes. And _you_ were wearing less clothes."

"You're sweaty," Sasuke informed her rudely.

"And _you're_ sexy." Sakura was not remotely affected by his attitude. "Let's get it poppin. You're already doing most of the work, wouldn't it be nice if I could reciprocate? We could totally pick up where we left off back in Ame. We're not drunk now, yafeelme?"

Sasuke released a sharp laugh.

"Come on," Sakura coaxed him. "I promise to stay tonight."

Sasuke kissed her neck once more before pulling back to stare her in the face. "You don't have a choice," he said coolly. "It's a blizzard. We're all stuck together."

"Caught that, did you?"

"Why are you so eager to run away?" he finally demanded, and Sakura was surprised to see that he looked frustrated. He looked conflicted, and Sakura instantly felt a pang of worry.

"I'm not running away from you, Sasuke-kun," she whispered. "It's just...it's just a road trip. Just a game. I have plenty of things I've love to run away from...but not you. Never you."

xoxoxo

Sasuke got the sense that Sakura was trying to tell him something.

She looked suddenly serious, compared to the teasing little minx she'd been a few moments prior. Her eyes searched his face, perhaps fearing his anger, but he wasn't angry. The trip was, if he was being honest with himself, fun. He was enjoying it. He loved the thrill of the chase, and moments like these, when he caught up to her. He enjoyed spending time with his friends, and he was seeing new places, trying new things.

What frustrated him so badly was never knowing where he stood with Sakura.

What was he chasing her _for?_ Yes, they had sexual chemistry, but on Sasuke's side, it was much deeper than that. His feelings for her were genuine, and he suspected that her feelings for him had strengthened over time. But nothing was set in stone. Hormones intervened every time they got close to one another.

"Stay tonight," he murmured before he could stop himself.

"I don't have a choice, remember?" she joked weakly, but he shook his head.

"No. Stay here. Don't hide."

Sakura flushed as pink as her hair, and Sasuke smirked. "Um. Okay. But it's just for tonight! Game starts up tomorrow."

"Aa."

"Okay. Now get the _hell_ off me. I need to take these clothes off. Don't look at me like that, you pervert. Shikamaru! You better staple your dick back on and get out of there, I need a shower. I'm sweating like a whore in church."

"Troublesome," Shikamaru growled before emerging, holding an ice pack over his groin. Sasuke rolled off of Sakura and pointedly ignored Shikamaru's raised eyebrows as Sakura snatched her phone back and disappeared into the bathroom.

A quick phone call would guarantee two more guests to the boys' room for the evening.

xoxoxo

Ino was only mildly pissed that their attempts at avoiding the boys were completely in vain. The story of Sakura's capture was so entertaining that she couldn't stay pissed.

Besides, in his nightclothes, Kiba looked _delicious._ He spared her a lopsided grin and called, "Hey there, gorgeous. Come sit by me and tell me where you learned to hit motherfuckers like that."

Apparently, he wasn't pissed at her, and that was a relief. Pouring hot chocolate down Shikamaru's pants had been intentional, but smashing her elbow in Kiba's face was pure reflex, and if she was being honest with herself, she felt like a big bag of shit about it. Happy that he wasn't angry at her, she smiled sweetly at him and joined him on the sofa.

A quick glance around the room found Shikamaru fast asleep on the floor, a dripping ice pack positioned over his crotch. In the corner, Naruto was listening to that horrendous Killer B CD with Hinata and from the look of it, he looked delighted with what he was hearing. And on the comfortable-looking bed, Sasuke was sprawled on his side, talking to Sakura, who was tucked into the corner of his arm and giggling up at him.

And Kiba was running a rogue hand up her thigh and whispering exactly what he'd like to do to her.

Yup. Everything was as it should be.

xoxoxo

Sasuke was warm.

And strong.

And cuddly.

Sakura was surprised. But it was a pleasant kind of surprised, like when she'd finally given Arrested Development a try and fallen completely in love with it. But to be honest, she couldn't even remember when she'd fallen in love with Sasuke. It had come on gradually, and before she knew it, she was head over heels for him.

There was some stupid movie playing on the flatscreen, but no one was really paying attention to it. Kiba and Ino were flirting like mad on the sofa, and Sakura secretly approved. Kiba would be good for Ino, and she'd be good for him. Naruto and Hinata were jamming to Killer B; rather, Naruto was jamming and Hinata was glowing that he liked her gift so much. Shikamaru was unconscious, and here she was with Sasuke, leaning in the crook of his arm while his hand played idly with the ends of her damp hair.

She could safely say she was completely happy in that instant.

She let out a little yawn, and Sasuke smiled. "You're tired."

"Outrunning you is no joke," she teased. He was being so sweet to her, she couldn't believe it. Like he was some type of pod person in Sasuke's body. But that was _okay,_ because Sasuke's body was perfect. And she couldn't blame the pod person for wanting it.

"Go to sleep," he murmured.

"Reminds me of the last time I slept over your house," Sakura said quietly, feeling sleep coming on little by little. "R'member, Sasuke-kun? You found me in the park."

He was silent, but Sakura merely snuggled up closer to him, tucking her face against the exposed skin of his throat. He was warm, and she was comfortable, and maybe that's why she murmured, "I think about that night all the time. I'm so happy you came for me."

She must have been delirious in her exhaustion. Because, as she drifted off, she surely imagined the way Sasuke kissed her forehead and replied, "I'll always come for you."

xoxoxo


	42. Do the Right Thing

Shikamaru inhaled deeply on his cigarette, the acrid smoke scalding some feeling back into his lungs.

This was so fucking stupid.

Was this his whole summer, then? A one-night stand with an old flame who wanted more from him? Then being the seventh wheel on a romantic free-for-all road trip, while one of his best friends hooked up with the girl he'd planned on marrying someday?

Well fuck that.

He cared about Ino, more so than he did Temari, and more so than he did himself. But he was certain now that it was too little, too late. Shikamaru was smart, but more than that, he knew Ino inside and out. She was his closest female friend; they'd grown up together. There wasn't a secret Ino had that Shikamaru didn't know, and that included her love for him.

But he also knew how this was going to end. She was going to break his heart.

He could duck out now. Wait for the storm to clear, then hit the Kumo airport for a one-way flight back to Konoha. Back hanging out with Chouji, and whiling away the summer laying on the grass in his backyard, staring up at the clouds rolling by and letting his mind wander.

It seemed a much better alternative to waiting around here for Ino to rip him open, but he didn't want to cheat her of the opportunity.

His burnt dick wouldn't be enough for her, he knew. He exhaled a cloud of smoke and watched it swirl up towards the slate gray sky, mixing with the falling snowflakes.

Everyone was sleeping. Sasuke was hogging the bed, curled up around Sakura like a body pillow. Naruto had passed out on the floor squeezing Hinata to his chest like a teddy bear, and she was blushing even in her sleep. On the couch, Kiba was sprawled out with his arm around-

"If you're gonna smoke, you can at least have the decency to close the window. It's fucking freezing, asshole."

Apparently Ino was awake.

She was wrapped up in a blanket, and she looked unusually rumpled; her hair was a tousled mess, her makeup was smeared, and her eyes bloodshot. A trail of drool ran down the side of her mouth.

She was gorgeous.

Shikamaru sighed and stubbed out the last of his cigarette before turning to face her, sliding the window shut behind him. "Why are you awake?" he asked.

She glanced back at their friends and confirmed quickly that they were all sleeping. "Shit, we're really gonna do this now, aren't we?" she sighed. "Balcony, Shikamaru."

The troublesome girl had just complained about him letting the wind in through the window, and now she wanted to have a chat out on the balcony in the middle of this snowstorm? Bah. She was a thousand times more trouble than she was worth, but he owed her this much, he knew. Quietly, he padded after her as she slid open the balcony door, and he shut it behind them.

The wind roared in his ears, and snowflakes settled in his hair, the wind cold enough to raise goosebumps on his skin. But Ino was looking at him with fire in her eyes, and she asked him, "What's happening to us, Shikamaru?"

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "It's hard."

"Yeah. Yeah, it is hard. It wasn't hard before, was it? In school. It was easy. So easy."

"Yeah."

"You know I love you."

"..."

"Not the way I love Sakura. You know I _love_ you. The deep kind. The kind that could last forever."

"I...I know."

Tears sparkled in Ino's eyes. It was rare to see her so upset. Typically she carried herself with a marrow-deep confidence that nothing could sway; to see her so exposed, so vulnerable, rendered him speechless.

"And you love me, too. Not the way you love Chouji. The way Sasuke loves Sakura. The way I love you. Don't you?"

No sense in denying it, even if the situation was hopeless. One look at Ino's shattered expression confirmed that, but the least he could give her was the truth.

"Yeah. Yeah, Ino. I do."

"_That's_ what makes this so hard," she whispered. "Because you love me and I love you and it _isn't enough._"

His hands clenched into fists. He barely noticed the cold anymore. All that existed in the world was Ino and Shikamaru, and at one point, that would have been all he ever needed. But she was right. There was more to a happy relationship than just love.

"I deserve everything, Shikamaru," Ino said boldly, and through her tears, he glimpsed the girl he'd fallen for. She held herself tall, nose in the air, buoyed by a self-confidence that ran deeper than her insecurities. "I deserve a guy who'd go to the ends of the earth for me. A guy who I can trust and depend on. A guy whose friendship with me doesn't snap at the first test."

"I know you do."

"I can't be with you right now," Ino continued, her voice hard. In a perverse way, he was proud of her. Even if she was breaking his heart, she was doing the right thing for herself. "I love you but I love me more. And I don't deserve to waste my time wondering if I can trust you or not. Fuck, Shikamaru, you and I were so _close!_ But you haven't so much as said one word to me this summer and I _don't deserve that._ I will not waste one more _second_ on someone who doesn't appreciate me. Who thinks he can do so much better, then expects me to be understanding when he realizes he can't!"

She was right. She was so right, and it was just as he expected. Just as he deserved. He hadn't appreciated what he had with Ino, that promise for something more, that potential for a long, happy future. It wasn't just that he'd slept with Temari; it was how easily he was able to cast Ino aside. They weren't even on speaking terms, and that was not how they operated.

"Kiba is...God he's so screwed up, just like me. But he makes me happy. I like him, Shikamaru, I like him a whole lot and if that makes me a slut, then fuck it, I guess I am. And you should talk to Temari. You can't sleep with someone and then walk out on her the next day."

"How'd you know?" he asked softly, staring out at the snow.

She sighed, and her hand on his cheek turned his attention back to her. The saddest smile he'd ever seen was on her face as she replied, "Because I know you as well as you know me."

xoxoxo

Shikamaru loved her. He'd said it himself.

Ino always thought that when he said those words to her, then it would fix everything between them. That suspicion, that doubt, that jealousy in her stomach, all of it would vanish because he loved her and she loved him and that's how fairy tales went.

But to her heartbreak, even with the knowledge that she was number one in Shikamaru's heart, that crushing despair hadn't gone anywhere.

And that's how she knew she couldn't be with him.

As far as romance went, Ino knew she was a great girl, and she knew she deserved a great guy. She couldn't spend her relationship doubting Shikamaru's every word, wondering if he was seeing someone else, wondering if his heart was in it the way hers was. She couldn't open herself up to something like that; it would make it that much worse when she had to turn her back on him.

For the first time in a long time, Ino knew she was doing the right thing.

Shikamaru was hurt, she knew. He was hurting the way she was. It killed her to see such sadness in his dark eyes, and to know she was the reason for that sadness. But it was better this way, she knew. Better than letting the empty space between them fill slowly with the things they couldn't say to one another, until there was a wall between them that could never be torn down.

This way, they could salvage their friendship. At least she hoped to try.

"This changes nothing between us, except everything," she said firmly, a smile on her face. "We're friends, Shikamaru. We'll always be friends. And as for something more? Maybe. Years down the road when we're not so selfish. But I won't hold you back anymore, and you won't hold _me _back anymore."

Shikamaru sighed, and smiled as well. "Troublesome," he said forcefully.

"Stop being such a downer on this thing," Ino scoffed. "It's irritating. You're like a big black cloud of bad energy and you're starting to make Sasuke look cheery by comparison."

"Tch."

"All right, I'm going back inside, I'm freezing my fucking tits right off."

"Classy, Ino."

She rolled her eyes before pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. He closed his eyes and she felt him sigh in her ear, a sigh of resignation, and even though it killed her, she turned her back to him and headed back inside. Kiba was warm and she curled up in his arms. No tears fell.

She was moving on.

xoxoxo

Sasuke stirred in the middle of the night and for a moment, forgot what was going on. To his shock, he was lying on a bed wrapped entirely around Sakura, who slept peacefully in his arms like a sleepy kitten. Her hand was curled around his shirt, anchoring her to him, and her legs were entangled with his.

Immediately, his expression softened.

He had to tell her, he knew. Tell her how annoying she was and why, all the different ways she irritated him. That he couldn't stop thinking about her, couldn't stop worrying about her. She was constantly on his mind, with her stupid pretty eyes and her stupid happy smiles and the stupid, stupid way she teased him till he wanted to scream. Tell her that he loved her, that he had for years, that he might forever.

But it wasn't easy for someone like him. Someone so irreparably damaged by his childhood tragedies that the idea of allowing someone so close into his heart was terrifying.

Granted, he knew it was stupid to deny himself. Sakura, whether she knew it or not, was already _in_ his heart. The damage had been done. The least he could do was reap the benefits, right?

But he wasn't sure where he stood with her. She had told him she loved him...but that was five years ago, and they were both completely different people now. She was obviously attracted to him, as he was to her, and they had physical chemistry, to be sure.

But did she love him? Love him the way he loved her, or was he setting himself up for heartbreak?

Times like these, he could have sworn she reciprocated. She was snuggled up to him, a content little smile on her face as she hummed lightly in her sleep, her little hand clutching his shirt in a vice grip. His gaze softened as he watched her sleep, and not for the first time, he wondered what was so deeply wrong with her parents, that they weren't as amazed by her as he was.

He hated the way they treated her. He hated the way she worked so hard to please them, but nothing she did was good enough. He hated that they didn't treasure her the way he did.

What could he offer her, though?

She was a mess, he was a disaster. By his own admission, he'd been so mindfucked by the circumstances of his life that he doubted he'd ever be completely normal. He beat the shit out of his best friend on a daily basis and called the love of his life annoying. That couldn't be healthy.

He sighed and his grip around her waist tightened. She hummed happily in response, and stirred before opening her eyes.

He watched her wake up, the way she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, blinked twice and looked around to make sense of her surroundings. It was far and away the cutest thing he'd ever seen in his life, and he was reminded once again of how much _better_ she was than him.

Then her gaze rested on him, and her face _lit up._ Sasuke couldn't believe it, couldn't believe the way she glowed like he was her favorite thing alive. How could someone like Sakura look at someone like him with such _happiness_ in her eyes?

"Hey," she said breathily, a tired smile on her face.

"Hey," he murmured.

"What timezit?"

Sasuke grabbed the nearest iPhone off the nightstand beside the bed and fumbled tiredly with it. If the stupid dog bone sticker on the back was any indication, it belonged to Kiba, whose password he knew to be his birthday (7/7) and his dumb dog's birthday (7/7). Idiot. He sluggishly punched in four sevens and glanced at the screen.

"It's 4:07," he mumbled, before dropping the phone carelessly on the floor.

It hit the carpet, accidentally striking play on Kiba's voice recordings.

He could never have expected what was about to happen.

xoxoxo

**note..** Thank you all so much for the reviews!


	43. Worst Case Scenario

Sasuke turned back to Sakura, fully intent on shushing her and falling back asleep for several more hours. He dropped the phone, not caring if it smashed because it was just Kiba's, and really what the hell did it matter if Kiba had a broken phone, and lay back down. Sakura curled up close again, and just as they both shut their eyes...

"So how long you been into Sakura?"

That was Kiba. Sasuke frowned and ignored him; asshole. But he didn't shut up.

"Come on, man. You're among friends."

Sasuke sat up to tell Kiba to mind his own fucking business, only to see that Kiba was fast asleep on the sofa, Ino sprawled on top of him, both of them snoring incredibly loudly. Sasuke blinked in confusion; what the hell was going on?

"What's that?" Sakura asked tiredly. Apparently she heard it as well, so he wasn't going crazy.

"Was it after you came back from Oto, and saw how cute she'd gotten? Or when you guys were Homecoming King and Queen, that was a pretty big sign. Or maybe even before you left Konoha?"

"That's Kiba...why's he talkin' 'bout me?" Sakura was completely bewildered, and so was he...

"You seem unusually interested in something that's _none of your business._" To his shock, Sasuke heard his own voice join Kiba's.

"That's you, Sasuke-kun...what the hell?"

All of a sudden, it hit him like a bolt of lightning. His stomach turned to ice as his eyes widened; he remembered this conversation. With a horrified glance on the floor, he saw Kiba's iPhone lit up with activity as it played it back for them to hear. Kiba had _recorded_ that?

"...Speculating on things that aren't there, just because she _turned you down._" Sasuke reached desperately for the phone to silence it; he remembered how the conversation ended, and the idea of Sakura hearing how he'd left it made him sick to his stomach. Unfortunately for him, she was now wide awake, sitting up, and staring at the phone with complete attention.

"Things that aren't there?" Sakura repeated softly to herself, frowning in confusion.

"Not answering the question," Kiba's voice taunted. "When did you fall for her?"

Sasuke watched Sakura's eyes widen, and he absolutely dreaded what he knew came next.

"Easy." He was stunned at how cold his voice could sound. Was he really that ruthless? "I didn't."

The recording cut off, plunging the hotel room into silence. Outside, the wind howled against the window, snow continuing to pelt the mountainside. Sasuke stared at Sakura with absolutely no clue what to say. How could he make this go away? How could Kiba do something so underhanded?

Sakura was frozen. She sat ramrod straight in the bed, staring at the now-dark iPhone lying innocuously on the floor, clearly trying to interpret what she'd just heard. Her hands were clenched into fists on the blanket, the knuckles bleached, and he noticed that her shoulders were shaking.

"Oh," she said finally.

"What?"

Sakura looked up at him with _ice_ in her eyes. Never in his life had he seen such an expression in the pretty green eyes he loved so much, and he almost recoiled.

"So that's what this was, huh."

"Sakura-"

"This...this you and I...this _bullshit..._I see. I get it. You just wanted to _fuck_ me. Is that it?"

"No!" Sasuke denied vehemently. Didn't she understand? That conversation was taken out of context, not to mention, of course he denied any feelings for her to his asshole friends. They didn't deserve to know how he felt about Sakura before Sakura herself!

But this sounded _awful._ And Sasuke knew Sakura. She wouldn't let him get a word in edgewise to explain it. This was not good.

"Oh, really?" Sakura sprang out of the bed like it had caught fire, and ignored the fact that everyone was waking up at the sound of her raised voice. "That sure sounded like you, didn't it? You _asshole._ It's okay to make out with me and kiss me and flirt with me and touch me and then you go behind my back to your fucking friends and tell them it didn't even _mean_ anything?"

"Shut up a second, let me-"

"Don't you ever tell me to shut up, you _fucking_ piece of shit!" Sakura was screaming by now, and he couldn't even blame her. Without knowing Sasuke's true take on the situation, how could she not take him at the words she heard on that fucking phone recording? "I should've known that you were just like _every other motherfucking asshole_ who just wanted to bang me and leave it at that. I should've known that you'd just use me and throw me out after like a slut. How _stupid_ could I have fucking been to trust _you?_"

Sasuke knew she had a right to be angry. But she was making some pretty low blows, and it was starting to grate on his temper.

"Sakura?" Ino asked solicitously, looking up from the sofa in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing, Ino," Sakura replied in a false cheery voice at complete odds with her angry eyes. "Just this fucking _asshole_ has been trying to hook up with me all this time and guess what? He _doesn't even like me._"

"He...what?" Naruto was awake as well, and trying to process what was going on. "Teme...what's going on?"

"You should know, Naruto," Sakura snapped. "You were there, weren't you? When Kiba and Sasuke decided to talk about me like I'm a piece of meat? I guess Sasuke-_kun_ never realized that Kiba was _recording _him!"

"What?" Kiba choked, brown eyes wide with horror as he realized what had happened.

Sasuke had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do. So he did the first thing that came to mind.

He jumped off the bed, crossed the room in two strides, and punched Kiba right in the jaw.

Ino and Hinata screamed. Shikamaru and Naruto sprang to their feet and ran over to the scuffle trying to separate a furious Sasuke from a horrified Kiba; they knocked over one of the chairs and on the way down, Kiba snatched hold of the balcony curtain and ripped it clear off the wall.

"Get out of here!" Naruto shouted at the girls, locking his arms around Sasuke's chest and trying to wrench him off of Kiba. "Girls, get out, this shit just got real!"

Sasuke barely heard anything. How could Kiba, one of his best and oldest friends, stab him in the back like this? Baiting him into that conversation in the first place, knowing full well that he would deny his obvious feelings for Sakura, then recording it, for what purpose? To have evidence against him? To hurt any chance he might have had with Sakura?

His knuckles were bleeding from punching Kiba so thoroughly, and he was itching to do it again, were it not for Naruto's iron grip around him holding him back. He opened his mouth to curse Kiba colorfully straight to hell, but was stopped by a sniffling sound in the doorway.

He craned his neck around to see Sakura, looking smaller and more fragile than he'd ever seen her, holding her backpack in both hands like a teddy bear. Her eyes were glassy with tears, and she looked so devastated, so vulnerable that his stomach turned to lead.

"I thought you were different," she whispered. "I thought it was real. But you were just using me, same as every other guy. How could you do that to me, Sasuke?"

He couldn't think of a single thing to say. He went completely brain-dead. The hated sight of Sakura's tears silenced his traitorous tongue, and he could do nothing but watch as an angry Ino and Hinata took Sakura's either side, arms wrapped around her small, quivering shoulders in a protective gesture, and all three of them left the room. The door slammed deafeningly loud behind them, and then there was silence.

xoxoxo

Sakura held herself together as the girls headed down the hallway to the elevator. They took it all the way to the bottom and exited at the lobby, which at such an obscenely early hour, was completely deserted. They passed through in silence and reached the girls' bathroom they'd hidden out at hours before, and only once Ino had locked the door behind them did Sakura burst into tears.

"Oh, baby, I'm so sorry," Ino murmured comfortingly. She pulled Sakura into a hug and let her best friend sob into her shoulder. "I can't believe that. I can't believe they'd do that. I'm so sorry, babydoll, it's okay. It's gonna be okay."

Everything hurt. Not just her heart, but now her stomach was aching, her arms and legs exhausted, like she'd lifted and benchpressed her body weight for hours. Not ten minutes ago, she'd felt like the happiest, luckiest girl in the world, opening her eyes to see Sasuke, watching her sleep, holding her like she was precious, like she mattered...

And then to hear him, hear his voice coldly deny any feelings for her whatsoever...to hear that solid evidence contradict the affectionate, caring look in his warm eyes as he told her to go back to sleep...

"The whole time," Sakura said weakly, "the whole time he was playing me out. He just...all he wanted was to fuck me. He doesn't love me. He _doesn't._ He doesn't even _like_ me. He just wants to fuck me. That's all I'm good for to him."

Ino stroked her hair, but it was Hinata who spoke up.

"No, Sakura-chan," she said with conviction. There was no stammer in her words. They were too important. "That's not true. Sasuke does care about you."

"Hinata's right, Forehead," Ino said gently. "I know this all sounds awful but you should talk to Sasuke about it."

"I heard him with my own ears!" Sakura cried. "Kiba asked him when he fell for me. Sasuke said never. End of story. How else could that _possibly_ be construed? I love him, goddamn it! I fucking love him. I'd do anything for him, all I want for him is to be happy, I'd kill and die for that kid and just when I let my guard down, just when I think he might feel the same way, I find this out. God!"

"Sasuke loves you," Hinata whispered. She rubbed Sakura's back, and having her friends here at such a miserable moment meant more than anything to Sakura. "I can't explain what you heard on that recording but I do know one thing. Sasuke looks at you like you're the moon and stars. There's no way he'd use you, Sakura. There's just no way."

xoxoxo

Kiba couldn't believe what was happening. One second he was sleeping, real fucking good, with Ino in his arms. The next, he was waking up to Sakura screaming at Sasuke. And then, finding out they knew about the voice recording _he'd forgotten to delete like a DUMBASS,_ and getting slugged in the face for the second time that day.

Ino elbowing his nose into mush, he hadn't deserved. But this? Sasuke spitting mad and kicking his ass? This he absolutely had coming.

"What the _fuck_ did you do?" Sasuke snarled. His handsome face was drained of color, his eyes dark and tinged red in impossible fury. He was being forcibly restrained by Naruto, which was probably the only reason Kiba was still alive now. Shikamaru, apparently figuring out that Kiba wasn't planning on fighting back and didn't need to be restrained, stood between he and Sasuke while everyone tried to work out what was happening.

"You recorded that conversation?" Naruto asked, his voice strained with the effort of keeping Sasuke from killing one of his oldest friends. "Back at that hotel when we were fuckin around...and you asked if Sasuke liked Sakura. You recorded his answer?"

"I can explain," Kiba began, but he knew he couldn't. What possible excuse could make what he'd done justifiable?

"You fucking asshole," growled Sasuke. "You wanted her that bad, huh? Never mind you fucked her best friend right in front of her, you wanted to have her afterward?"

"It's not like that!" Kiba cried, putting his hands up in a quelling gesture that clearly had no effect on Sasuke. "It's...I'm not trying to get with Sakura! Not anymore! I did that when I wanted...it's...Jesus, I meant to _delete_ that, man, I'm so fucking sorry...you were never supposed to..."

"To find out you were gonna stab me in the back? Fuck that. Fuck _you._ Friends this whole fucking time and you were gonna pull that shit on me and try and steal Sakura away? _Asshole._"

"Teme, calm down!" Naruto said, pulling him back, and eventually Sasuke relaxed, apparently drained of his anger-fueled adrenaline. "Everyone knows you wouldn't use Sakura-chan."

"Everyone but her," Sasuke snapped. "She won't believe anything I tell her now. Why should she."

"We can figure this out," Naruto said optimistically. "Come on, let's just...let's just calm down for a second and figure this shit out."

"I'll explain everything to Sakura myself," Kiba suggested, "if it'll help. I'm so sorry, man. Fuck I'm sorry. I never meant for this to happen. I gave up on Sakura. She's good for you and you're good for her and I had no business even thinking I could get in the middle."

"I'll call Ino," Shikamaru sighed. "See if they'll come back so we can clear this up."

The throbbing in Kiba's jaw was nothing compared to the crushing guilt weighing on his shoulders. This whole thing was his fault. Sakura was heartbroken, the girls were angry and he'd probably irreparably destroyed his years-long friendship with Sasuke.

Sasuke was right. He really was an asshole.

xoxoxo

**note..**I know I'd get more reviews if I updated less frequently. But quantity doesn't matter to me. I just want to hopefully entertain you guys as much as I'm entertaining myself writing this piece of shit, you feel me? I appreciate the feedback so, so much but I'll never withhold updates or blackmail anyone into reviewing for me. Review if you want to, not because you feel obligated to. :) Thank you all for the constant support, I'm glad you're so into this, you are all absolutely wonderful and I'm so grateful. :) xoxo Daisyyyyyyy


	44. Damage Control

Ino's phone rang. Pissed, she saw that it was Shikamaru.

Normally, seeing his name on her Caller ID would have made her happy. Him reaching out to her was a sign that they were on the right track, a step in the right direction towards mending their suffering friendship. Now that she was in protective-best-friend mode, however, she answered with a savage, "Well good morning, firecrotch. What can I fucking do for you and your _shithead friends?_"

Sakura stiffened in her arms.

"Everyone's overreacting," Shikamaru drawled. "Come back up here so we can talk this out like adults."

"Hold the fuck up," Ino snapped back. "Are you calling us _immature?_"

"Ino relax. It's a misunderstanding."

"No it fucking isn't!" Sakura shouted into the phone, tears streaming from her eyes. "It's the fucking truth and it's about time I got it through my thick head! All you boys fucking care about is who you get it in with. That's _all_ that matters to you. I should've known better and I didn't so at least I figured out what was going on before anything happened. Fuck you. Fuck all of you except Naruto. Naruto's not a shithead _slut_ liar like the rest of you asshole boys!"

Ino took the phone back and snapped, "Game's over, asshole. Keep your shithead friends away from us unless they all want burnt dicks like yours. Have a good summer."

She hung up and released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Sakura and Hinata were staring at her in surprise.

"The...the game's over?" Hinata asked.

"Let's look at the facts," Ino said angrily. "Sasuke likes Sakura. She likes him back. I like Shikamaru. Shikamaru likes me and also Temari, which I hate. You like Naruto. Naruto is dumb and likes you but doesn't know it. Kiba likes Sakura even though Sasuke liked her first. We all go on a trip. Kiba tries and tries to hook up with Sakura and even sabotages Sasuke to do it. Then, out of the blue, he decides he doesn't want her anymore and then bangs me, who has now decided she doesn't want Shikamaru anymore because sometimes, love just ain't enough. Then everyone's happy sort of and then Sasuke hears Kiba try to sabotage him and tries to kill Kiba and Sakura's upset because _she doesn't see what all of us see._"

"What don't I see?" Sakura asked softly, wiping tears from her eyes.

"That Sasuke's been head over heels for you for years," Ino replied flatly. "You deny it. You make excuses for him and explain away his behavior when the reality of it is, he's crazy for you and he'd do anything for you."

"But the recording-"

"I don't care what that said! Do you really think he'd tell Kiba the truth about something like that, when he hasn't even told you yet? When has Sasuke _ever_ answered a personal question about himself? To anybody but you?"

Sakura had no answer for that, and Ino saw the reluctant hope in her verdant eyes.

"So why end the game?" Hinata wondered. "I...I was having fun."

"Tch," scoffed Ino. "We're not ending anything. It's a test. If they give up and go home, then they're pussies and none of them deserve us, so when college starts in the fall, we go in as three smoking hot, available single girls and they can watch us with nothing but regret. But we all know they're not going home." Ino smirked. "Even when we end this trip...we're gonna be playing this game with those boys forever."

xoxoxo

Sasuke was so angry he couldn't see straight. He knew, though, he'd have to calm himself down before trying to talk to Sakura. With his temper and her temper, the resulting fight would be brutal, he'd end up saying more things he didn't mean, she'd cut him down with vicious retorts and sad, pretty eyes and they'd be right back where they started.

Kiba baited him into denying his feelings for Sakura. Then he recorded the conversation, all to sabotage the growing relationship between them. Granted, the recording going off in the hotel room was an accident. If he hadn't dropped Kiba's phone on the floor, nothing would have happened, which meant that if Kiba really wanted to tell Sakura about Sasuke's denial, he would have. He'd had more than enough opportunity to do so, but he hadn't done it.

The problem was the fact that he'd recorded it in the first place.

Sasuke resented anyone who tried to insinuate himself in Sakura's heart, but this was base treachery. Kiba was his friend, one of his closest since childhood. They played baseball on the same team together for years, Kiba at first base, Sasuke on the pitcher's mound. It was an unwritten rule that, as friends, you stayed away from each other's girls.

Kiba obviously never read that rule. He'd begun this trip with banging Sakura being first on his agenda, despite common knowledge that she was _Sasuke's, damn it,_ and had then hooked up with Ino, who'd always been linked to Shikamaru.

What the hell was his problem? How could he throw away years of friendship like that? How could he stab him right in the back?

"I'm fucking sorry, man," Kiba said, and he looked miserable. Good. His jaw was swollen, and it complemented the bruised, bloody mash that had once constituted his nose like some macabre painting. "I was fucking out of line for that. I was never ever gonna let her hear that, I know it wasn't even true."

"Well let's be honest here," Naruto said flatly, his arms folded now that he was sure Sasuke wasn't going to tackle Kiba out of the window. "None of this would have even fucking mattered if the teme had just told Sakura how he felt about her from the beginning."

Sasuke's eyes flashed fire. Fucking hell, Naruto too?

"Sakura-chan's got no idea where she stands with you, asshole," Naruto snapped, glaring at Sasuke. "All she knows is you think she's hot and that you want to bang her. So what, in her mind, makes you any different from the guys back home who want the same thing from her?"

"I've knocked out assholes for saying a lot less than that," Sasuke growled. He felt himself gearing up for another fight automatically, only it seemed that Naruto was willing to hit back. His typically cheerful blue eyes were angry, and his words were designed to provoke rather than placate.

"In her mind, this whole thing is one elaborate scheme for you to bang her, the hot popular girl that everyone wants. And she doesn't think you care about her as more than a fuck because you were too much of a _pussy _to tell her how special she is! And then to hear what she heard, you saying with your own voice that you don't give a shit-"

"I would _never_ use her like that!" Sasuke yelled. How had this night gone so terribly wrong? His friends turned against him, his girl laboring under the delusion that she was anything but first in his heart, how much more of this shit would he have to take? "I don't owe _you_ assholes any explanation! What I have with Sakura is between me and her and _you can get the hell out of it, understand?_"

Sasuke steeled himself for the linebacker tackle of one of Konoha's strongest football players. He was angry enough to use the agility that made him an All-Star quarterback to knock the stocky, sturdy football monster of Naruto flat on his ass.

But to his surprise, Naruto merely smirked and whipped out his own cell phone.

"Did he just-" Kiba choked.

"You _recorded_ that, you _dobe?_" Sasuke snarled.

Naruto laughed and released the record button. "It was for your own good, teme," he said with a wide grin. "Now just a few clicks and...voila! Headed straight to Sakura-chan's phone. Face it, teme, it's the only way to make her listen to what you've got to say. This'll clear it up and maybe she'll give you another chance."

xoxoxo

"Ino, Hinata, I really appreciate this," Sakura said softly, and when she looked up, there was a smile on her face. "But just because you wish for something doesn't make it true. Just because you love someone doesn't mean they love you back. And you know what? That's okay. Because this trip wasn't just about hooking up with Sasuke or getting him to like me. It was about closure, one way or the other. I found out the truth for myself, and it's not what I wanted to hear, but it's what I _needed_ to hear. I need to stop wasting my time with him and move on."

Her friends looked shocked, and she realized it probably sounded completely out of character for Haruno Sakura to be throwing in the towel on her budding romance with Uchiha Sasuke. But Sakura, like Ino, knew she deserved better; she was not about to play the hand she'd been dealt. She was going to throw those fucking cards across the room and deal herself in on her own terms.

"I think you're making a mistake," Ino said quietly. "It's not like me and Shikamaru. You guys are...I mean..."

"Made for each other," Hinata finished.

"I can't afford to think like that," Sakura murmured. "Like he's the only one for me. Because what happens when it ends, huh? Is that all there is for me? Just whatever minor part of himself he's willing to share with me, that's all I get?"

A buzzing in her pocket interrupted their conversation. Ino snatched her phone before she could answer it, and looked surprised. "It's a voice message from Naruto," she said.

"I don't want to hear it," Sakura said quickly, but Ino pressed play with a nasty, "Tough titty, Forehead, this is for your own good!"

xoxoxo

**note..** You guys are seriously the fucking best. You understand? Just incredible. I'm astonished at the support I'm getting and it makes me want to write out the whole damn story. And give it to you straight. (That's what she said.) You're all wonderful, beautiful people and excuse me while I go watch the Phillies kick Pittsburgh's _ass_ today because it's OPENING DAY! Oh yeah baseball yeahhhhh holla at me who you're rooting for!


	45. Party Rock

The bus ride back down the mountain was, frankly, way awesome.

Sakura had listened to the second recording in the bathroom a total of sixteen times before she was satisfied with what she heard. Ino was right, it would seem; just because Sasuke denied how he felt to his friends didn't mean that was the way he _actually_ felt. He didn't come right out and confess undying love for her in his loud fight with Naruto, but he _did_ say that he wasn't using her.

She still wasn't sure where she stood with Sasuke, but she was now secure in the knowledge that she wasn't just some sexual conquest for him. Even if things were still incredibly up in the air, anything was better than that horrible impression she'd gotten from him.

After deciding that she wouldn't write Sasuke off completely, she had Ino tell the boys that they were taking the first bus down the mountain, and as punishment for inflicting needless emotional trauma on a trio of defenseless girls, the boys were required to wait for the second shuttle. The boys accepted the terms as fair, and now Sakura, in a _much_ better mood, decided to liven up the early morning Kumo Mountain Lodge Shuttle the same way they rocked the cheerleading bus to and from football games.

"Oi, Pig, let me hollaaaa at your iPod speakahs," Sakura said, hoisting herself up onto the headrest so everyone could see her. Ino, clearly seeing where this was going, and deciding that after a night of emotional upheaval and turning the page on the Shikamaru-Boyfriend-Candidate chapter of her life, an early morning party bus ride was exactly what she needed. She dug into her purse and tossed a set of mini portable iPod speakers to her friend, who plugged in the holiest iPod of all the iPods and shouted out to the other patrons, "Ayo, get up out ya seat, let's get it poppin!"

Ino let out a whoop of joy and hopped up beside Sakura while Hinata tried to hide her face. The other passengers, tired and still waking up and none of them speaking, looked around at some fucked up shit stirring in the back, and Ino laughingly mused to herself that if she and her friends weren't so fucking pretty, they wouldn't be able to get away with half the shit they pulled.

As it was, however, people were far more inclined to go along with what a bunch of pretty girls wanted to do. And at that moment, they wanted a bitchingass party bus. And so they would have it.

"I am going to bless you all, wonderful fellow bus patrons, with the _greatest song ever written,_" Sakura called, everyone staring at her in a mixture of disbelief (at her volume) and interest (at her hair color). "And together we will dance to this greatest song, and fuck it that it's 7 in the morning cuz we on the _PAR-TAY BUS AW YEAH PARTY BUS YEAH!"_

A group of guys, snowboarders by the looks of them, whistled and catcalled their approval, and Ino squealed in delight. This was _exactly_ what they needed at the moment. Just a couple of smoking hot, confident-ass girls, their fucked up romantic situations drifting farther and farther away as they reclaimed their KHS titles as the Life of the Party. The center of attention, totally irreverent, and exactly, _exactly_ where they'd always belonged.

"Hit it, girl!" one of the boys shouted.

"_EVERYBODY (YEAH...) ROCK YO BODY (YEAH...) EVERYBODY...ROCK YO BODY RIGHT..."_

"YOU ARE THE GREATEST PERSON IN MY WORLD!" Ino yelled, wrapping her arm around Sakura's shoulders and dragging a scarlet Hinata up onto the seat as well. "SAKURA I FUCKING LOVE YOUR ASS. SING IT IF YOU KNOW IT!"

And in a moment so beautiful, so magical that it only belonged in a movie, the full bus, old and young, men and women, children and grandmothers and even the chubby, bored-looking bus driver, rose up as one, fists in the air as they cried out in perfect unison, "**_BACKSTREET'S BACK, ALL__ RIGHT!"_**

xoxoxo

"How the hell did we manage _this?_" Kiba growled.

"It was Narutard's idea and none of us had the brains to stop it," Shikamaru grunted.

"I will kill everyone," Sasuke vowed.

"This was a good fucking idea and you know it, now shut your bitching mouths and listen to that party!" Naruto alone seemed perfectly content with their position.

Which, at the moment, was crammed in the baggage hold beneath the bus the girls were currently riding.

They had given their word to wait for the second shuttle and give the girls a much-deserved head start. Then, they remembered that they no longer knew which car to be looking for, and that wasn't fair, so fuck their promise, and they were gonna tag along unseen on the bus. And the only way they could do that was sneaking into the baggage hold before the driver locked it up. It was sweaty, dark, and cramped, everyone was angry, but they now had a chance to keep pace with the girls before they left Kumo.

If they thought it was going to be a quiet, subdued, early morning hour-long journey back to the bottom of the mountain, they were wrong. It would seem that Sakura had recovered completely from her emotional meltdown, that Ino was no longer so angry at Shikamaru that she could not stop concocting ways to scald off his peen, and that Hinata had absolutely no control over either one of them. Sure enough, Sakura's voice rang out loudly, the words muffled somewhat but the intent clear: she was trying to start a 7 am party. And judging by the whistles, catcalls, and whoops of joy, it was _working._

Naruto laughed as Sakura introduced her favorite song of all time, the best song ever written, and even more so when it was revealed to be the Backstreet Boys. "_That's_ the greatest song ever _written?_ HAHAHAHA COME ON, SAKURA-CHAN!"

Ino's voice joined Sakura's, and soon everyone else on the bus, by the sound of it, was singing along. If the furious stomping and clapping from above was any indication, the entire fucking bus had joined in, and Naruto desperately _desperately_ wished they were up there with them rocking out as well. It brought back fond memories of coming home from away games, he and his friends sneaking off the football bus onto the cheerleading bus and having dance parties that lasted all the way back to school.

"We need to get those two a babysitter," Shikamaru drawled, wishing he could smoke in the cramped space without suffocating them all. "Hinata's not cutting it. It's _7 in the morning_ and look what they just started."

"Oi, this shit's nothing compared to that one party bus ride we had coming back from Iwa! Remember teme, senior year?"

"I wasn't there," Shikamaru remarked. He refused to participate in high school athletics, because practice consistently interfered with his strict schedule of napping and talking about naps.

"YOU SHOULDA BEEN, DICKBAG! THAT WAS THE _BEST!_"

xoxoxo

_"That was a great fucking game, dude!" Naruto clapped Sasuke excitedly on the back as they filed onto Bus 2, the varsity football team's ride. Freshly showered after the game and celebrating an undefeated Konoha High School's fifth consecutive victory of the season, they were both in great moods. Sasuke had converted the two points needed to win at the very last second, which translated to national heroism as far as high school was concerned. As such, he was quite unable to shake the smirk off his face, and didn't bother pummeling Naruto as he normally would have, when his best friend draped an arm around his shoulders._

_They sat in the very back with the other senior captains, Chouji, an absolute monster of a left tackle who sacked every single quarterback at least twice so far this season, and Sai, an effeminate but ungodly quick wide receiver who had run in three touchdowns that night. High fives were exchanged and the other varsity players joined them to congratulate each other, rehash favorite plays, etc. But just as the bus was about to head off, frantic pounding sounded on the closed doors._

_Naruto looked over at all the commotion as the bus driver opened the doors, and, to everyone's surprise and delight, a bunch of Konoha High cheerleaders hopped on the bus as well. Ino led them all, laughing and blowing kisses to each player in turn, followed by Sakura, who was handing out high fives and smiles like Halloween candy. They were still dressed in their skimpy short pleated skirts and tight-fitting tops, and Naruto grinned slyly at Sasuke, who stiffened upon seeing the girl everyone knew he'd someday marry and sperminate with._

_"Great game, assholes!" Ino exclaimed, throwing her arms around Naruto and promptly taking a seat in his lap, since the entire bus was full and they'd somehow conned their way on._

_"You were awesome, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura added. She squeezed herself fearlessly between he and Naruto and kissed him on the cheek. "I never thought you'd go for the conversion, I thought for sure you'd get the extra point, call your last timeout and force overtime, but that was so fucking ballsy and awesome and I've got no voice left from screaming but WOW, SASUKE-KUN!"_

_"Sakura-chan you should know there's nothing hotter than when a girl knows her sports!" Chouji laughed good-naturedly from the adjacent seat._

_"Teme is BLUSHING!" laughed Naruto._

_"Dobe," hissed Sasuke, whose face was traitorously red._

_The girls just laughed._

_"How'd you even get on this bus?" Naruto asked. "They're pretty strict about letting girls on the boys' buses."_

_"Speaking of strict, Ugly," Sai addressed Sakura before she could answer Naruto's question, "I was under the impression that your father is very demanding and conservative. I have also come to learn that belly button piercings are commonly located on girls who are promiscuous. Does this mean your belly button piercing is a sign that your parents support your promiscuity?"_

_Everyone looked around to a fiercely blushing Sakura, who couldn't conceal her exposed stomach fast enough to hide a dangling jewel shining from her navel._

_"I am not promiscuous!" she hissed at Sai, missing Sasuke's wide-eyed stare at the traitorous jewelry. But Naruto was trained to take note of Sasuke's Haruno Sakura radar, and saw the mixture of interest and disapproval in that stare. "And stop calling me ugly, you gnome."_

_Naruto couldn't help laughing, and soon, everyone joined in. With the exception of Sasuke, who began growling obscenities under his breath at Sakura; Naruto didn't catch all of it, but he heard something along the lines of, "Just draws more attention," and "what the hell were you thinking" and "why don't you just paint a bullseye on your va-" And then Sakura began yelling at him and the two degenerated into a familiar argument about Sasuke's overprotectiveness and Sakura's inherent rebelliousness._

_Same old, same old._

_Naruto was living LIFE at the moment; his best friends fighting (flirting) like mad beside him, his teammates cheering him and congratulating him, and the thrill of recent victory on his shoulders. He leaned back in his seat, arms behind his head, and was just about to relax when Ino cleared her throat._

_"Hey, you assholes, there's a reason we snuck onto your sweaty ass bus in the first place," she said sourly, before a wicked smile lifted her lips and she jumped off of Naruto's lap. "We wanted to have a party!"_

_Party Rock Anthem blared and Sakura and Ino led the girls, pulling the boys out of their seats into a flash mob of teenage fuckery. The bus driver's protests couldn't be heard over the cacophony of LMFAO and laughter and clapping and shuffling and the complete joy of being 17 and immortal. Needless to say, that bus ride was the first of many between the varsity team and the varsity cheerleaders._

xoxoxo

Thinking back on it, Naruto had to smile. It was good to note that some traditions never really died, because sure enough, right after Sakura was done assaulting everyone with her favorite Backstreet Boys song, the opening chords to Party Rock Anthem blared from the bus overhead. Laughing, he shook his head and was so, so fucking _glad_ he'd send her that recording.

xoxoxo

**note..**Another update for you, for the simple fact that my Phillies won the first game of the season! Sorry to you Pirates fans, but you simply can't beat the combined, unstoppable force of Roy Halladay and me, his doting wife. Anyway I've got a reader who roots for Seattle, so here's hoping they can turn it out just like my Phils! Thanks for the support, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you soon. Have a good opening day, y'all!


	46. The Great Outdoors

"Well, I think we can safely say that we are all fucking awesome!" Ino laughed. "But it's lovely to be back in my baby again." She stroked the tacky Ed Hardy steering wheel of her purple Jeep with all the fondness of a doting mother.

"Iwa's about four hours away, can we get breakfast first?" Sakura rubbed her growling stomach. "I need a fucking coffee, yo. And a cough drop. I sang so hard and loud and devoted to my Backstreet Boys that I now will need extensive reconstructive surgery on my throat."

"Hm, Steven Tyler had that," Hinata chimed in.

"No, it was polyp removal surgery," Ino corrected. "He can't really hit the high notes anymore, it's a shame."

"I would absolutely fuck Steven Tyler," Sakura added.

"Gross!" Hinata laughed. "Sakura-chan he's in his s-sixties!"

"Doesn't matter."

"Forehead your preoccupation with Steven Tyler is disturbing at best and way way disturbing at worst."

"Only God can judge me. You girls know that 'Rag Doll' is my hot drunk mess song that I sing when I'm hot, drunk and messy. It is sacred. Now seriously. I've been up since four and if I don't get some coffee in me as soon as possible, I am going to vomit on purpose in this Jeep and it will _smell,_ and...oh, look, Sasuke-kun's calling me."

Ino shook her head as she turned onto the freeway. "Sakura, my babydoll, it worries me that someday, when I need plastic surgery and go to my surgeon best friend for free Botox, I will forget about how easily distracted you are until you already have me anesthetized, and the consequences will be dire."

Sakura ignored her as she answered, "Talk to me."

"You're annoying," Sasuke's deep voice rumbled back. "More annoying than ever, actually."

She rolled her eyes. "Is that your way of apologizing to me for ruining my good night? If so, it needs work. If not, it needs a lot of work."

"Where are you guys going."

"Um, a little place I like to call M Y O Fucking B."

"Sakura..."

She giggled. "Relax, Voldemort. We're heading to Iwa at the moment."

"Tch," he scoffed, a rude, derisive bark of a laugh right in her ear. "What the hell are you going to Iwa for. It's just rocks and boulders."

"Hiking, asshole. Camping or whatever. I don't know. What's your point?"

"My point? You idiots wouldn't last fourteen minutes in the wilderness."

Sakura's temper flared and her eyes narrowed. "If you're trying to get back in my good graces, you'd better try again," she hissed cattily. "I'll have you know that we're fully capable of handling ourselves in the wilderness. I can shoot arrows like Katniss Everdeen, bitch."

"Stop quoting shit to me I don't care about. There's bears in the woods, moron. Wolves. Axe murderers. Go find a nice plush hotel and wait or us to come find your squirrelly asses."

"It is so _on,_ you road whore!" Sakura screeched. "YOU HEAR ME, YOU FAT _PANCREAS?_ I am going to rough it tonight, Sasuke, I'm gonna rough it like a motherfucking PAUL BUNYAN wood-chopping, tent-pitching, mountain-climbing _hillbilly_ and _your_ pansy ass can go find a nice plush hotel, along with a rusty old railroad spike for you to _fuck yourself with!_"

"Where do you even come up with the shit you say?" Sasuke snapped. "You sound like a monkey."

"A _monkey?_ Uchiha Sasuke you did not just call me a monkey. You know they scare me."

"Fear of self, Sakura?" he sneered. "That's all you are. A mean, nasty little monkey. You screech and screech and think you're smart like a regular human."

"What would _you _know about being human, you _beluga whale?_"

"That makes no sense."

"You sat on my chest last night and it felt like not only were my lungs about to collapse, but that all the happiness was gone from the world, and that no matter what happened, nothing would ever be the same."

"You are too stupid to insult," Sasuke said flatly. "We'll catch up to you in Iwa."

"No you won't. Your pussy asses can't tear it up Grizzly Man style like we can. How about you do me, the girls, and humanity a favor and get in your Jetta, put on your seatbelts, like the doors and drive that loud piece of shit straight. to. hell. Have a good fucking day you orca."

xoxoxo

Sakura was probably the smartest girl he'd ever met, but sometimes, she said things that were so stupid, to mock them would be indecent. It was way too easy to rile her up, but the fact that she'd argued back so defiantly meant she wasn't mad at him anymore, which was good.

And Kiba should be grateful. It meant he was allowed to be alive for a few more days.

Sasuke smirked. He had to hand it to the girls; the whole pretending-to-trade-out-their-car ruse was a pretty clever idea. In fact, the absolute last car on the highway he wuold have been searching for would be a purple Jeep. Unfortunately for them, the boys had stowed away in the baggage hold under the party bus, and stalked the girls all the way into the infamous Jeep, and were now cruising behind it at a leisurely pace.

And they had no idea.

"They can't go fucking camping!" Naruto moaned, smacking his forehead. "They don't know the first thing about being out in the woods!"

"The idiot's right for once," Kiba said. "Imagine those three chicks trying to pitch a tent and cook food over a fire. Not to mention what the hell they'd do if any creeps came up to their campsite!"

The smirk slid off Sasuke's face. They had a point. Three defenseless girls, out in the woods at night, alone, unprotected, exposed to the elements and animals and _creeps..._

"Not happening," he said flatly. "Nope. We're gonna catch 'em before they even get to the woods."

xoxoxo

The girls, unaware they were being closely followed, reached Iwa midafternoon and found their way to a campground. The site owner, a squat little man with a large, liver-spotted nose and a sour disposition, was amused by three obviously-city girls wanting to give camping a go, and rented them out a site, some campfire food, and a tent for a low flat rate. He pointed them in the direction of their locale and shooed them off, giving them a half hour before they came back to the parking lot, hopped in their pretty Jeep, and found a nice hotel somewhere instead.

Hinata, however, was excited. Yes, she and the girls were city girls at heart, but that didn't mean they couldn't handle this, right? People went camping all the time, how hard could it be? She'd never camped before, but it seemed like it would be fun. Like something the new and improved Hyuuga Hinata would try.

She missed Naruto.

Maybe this chasing thing worked well for Sakura and Ino (Sasuke and Kiba were two of the most persistent people she knew, so they had to be having a blast, too), but Hinata didn't feel any closer to Naruto now thans he had at the beginning of the vacation. If anything, she felt like he was friend-zoning her now. Treating her like one of the guys, and looking right through her as a woman.

The thought hurt. Maybe it was selfish of her, but she wanted Naruto to take her seriously, not just as a friend but as someone he might even one day be in a relationship with.

She sighed. She _was_ having a good time with her girlfriends, though. Perhaps she was giving Naruto too much of her attention, and not enough to Ino and Sakura and their girls' trip. This little foray into the woods would be great to clear her head.

**note..** I hate camping. But they're gonna fuck shit up. Stick with me, pals. Next chapter: injuries, wolves, and dirty marshmallows. (all the ingredients to every camping trip I've ever been on in my life.) Love you. -Daisy.


	47. Heteronormative

"You know what?" Sakura said brightly, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand and admiring her work. "This looks pretty good!"

It had taken them an hour of fussing and arguing and calling each other names, but somehow, she, Hinata, and Ino had pitched a sturdy-looking tent. Complete with zip-up door, even. It stood on its own and looked every bit like the picture they were trying to replicate. They set up three sleeping bags inside and lit a citrinella candle to ward off the mosquitoes.

"High-fives, sluts!" laughed Ino raucously, smacking her friends' hands in celebration. "Look at us, roughin' it."

Indeed, they looked rough, too. An hour of sweating over the tent beneath an unforgiving summer sun left them disheveled, makeup smeared off and perfectly-coiffed hair thrown up in messy ponytails. But the accomplishment of building their own tent from scratch, with no prior experience or strong-muscled boys to help them out, overrode any girlish discontent.

"Now the more pressing question," Sakura said, as she plopped herself down on a log around the ashes of the previous campers' fire, "is what we're supposed to _do_ now. We got our campsite. We built our tent. It's getting dark out here...what do campers do, anyway? Hunt bears and dragons, I would imagine."

"Let's find s-some wood for a fire," Hinata volunteered. "We can make some s-smores and tell s-scary stories."

At Ino's snort of derision and Sakura's raised eyebrows, Hinata merely shrugged. "That's what they d-do on TV. Bug Juice and wh-whatever."

"Well, not like we're doing much else," Sakura laughed. "I'm getting like, _no_ cell service up here anyways. Let's find some wood and build a fire and get our Pocahontas on. I wish those smelly boys could see us now!"

xoxoxo

They _could_ see them now.

It had taken Sasuke much, much longer to find the girls than he'd originally estimated, which pissed him off. But thanks to Kiba's nose (remarkably in tact after Ino had broken it), and the tracks made in the dry earth from Ino's kitten heel pumps (ideal outdoor footwear), an hour or so of searching led them directly to the girls' camp.

To the general astonishment of all four boys, they found a large green pop-up tent constructed accurately at the girls' camp. How they'd managed to build something like that, Sasuke couldn't begin to guess. He was hard-pressed to picture Sakura with a hammer in her hands, nailing four tent stakes into the earth, when it was common knowledge that her tool of choice was her iPhone, to call someone for help.

A smirk crossed his face unbidden as he remembered one particular distress call the previous summer.

xoxoxo

_Sasuke collapsed onto his sofa and exhaled sharply through his nose._

_The air conditioner hummed, releasing a welcome cold front throughout his small apartment that soothed his overheated muscles. He'd been an idiot for agreeing to a workout with Naruto when the thermometer clocked in at over a hundred degrees, but his refusal to be called "pussy" by his bonehead best friend outweighed his common sense. They'd run laps outdoors, the sun blistering overhead, and Sasuke returned to his apartment soaked in sweat and self-loathing._

_But this, sprawled out on his overstuffed couch with the air conditioner blowing right on him, more than made up for it. Sweat ran cold on his forehead before disappearing completely. His muscles relaxed, his breathing regulated. A nap was in order, he decided, his eyes sliding shut just before the infernal buzzing of his cell phone._

_Pissed, he snatched it off the table and saw that Sakura was calling. Ignoring the way his neck burned for an entirely different reason, he pressed talk and snapped, "This better be good."_

_Sakura's answer was a distressed scream._

_"Sasuke-kun! You've got to help me! It's awful, it's so awful!"_

_Sasuke sat bolt upright, previous sleepiness gone as adrenaline rushed through his veins, invigorating his exhausted muscles. "Sakura? What's wrong? What happened?"_

_"It's EVERYWHERE!" she screeched in his ear, making him wince. "It's everywhere and oh my GOD SASUKE-KUN IT'S HAPPENING!"_

_"What the fuck is going on?" he demanded. "Where are you?"_

_"My house! Oh please come, Sasuke-kun, please come help me, this is the ACTUAL WORST THING, AGHGHGHGH!"_

_Sakura's house was ten blocks away, and Sasuke knew he'd never run faster in his life, not even that morning in a race against Naruto. His exhaustion took a backseat to this newfound urgency as one of a thousand horrible scenarios played in his mind. Sakura's father might have come home early from his business trip and gotten more violent than usual...a burglar might have snuck in while Sakura was alone...a stalker might have followed her home from her shift at the hospital where she was apprenticing..._

_Each scenario spurred him faster. He wished he'd brought a weapon, a knife or something, but if someone was harassing Sakura, he had no doubts that he would be able to take them out with only his bare hands._

_The little yellow house came into view, and there was no smoke coming from the windows, which ruled out a fire. That was a good thing, it was far too hot to run into a burning building to drag Sakura back out. Nonetheless, he sprinted up the steps and kicked the door in, running inside and shouting, "SAKURA! WHERE ARE YOU?"_

_Her squeal of distress rang out from the kitchen. "SASUKE-KUN! IT'S OUT OF CONTROL!"_

_Imagining a rapist stalker terrorizing her in the kitchen, Sasuke shot inside with his fist cocked..._

_And stopped dead, at the most infuriatingly laughable sight in the world._

_Water was squirting like mad from a broken pipe under the sink. It pooled on the floor, sparing not an inch of the white linoleum; it continued to spurt from the leaky valve that Sakura, drenched head to toe in water, was trying desperately to plug up with her bare hands._

_"You called me over...screaming 'help'...for this?"_

_"Yell at me later, just make it stop!" Sakura wailed._

_She was lucky she was pretty, he mused to himself, stalking towards her to help her out. Her little hands were wrapped tightly around the pipe as she attempted to stop it up, but it wasn't helping._

_Irritated, he did what she should have done in the first place, and turned off the tap. The water stopped running and shooting across the kitchen floor, but not before it sprayed both of them directly in the face one last time. Pissed off and now wet on top of it, he snapped at her, "Go get me a wrench."_

_"Which...um...is that the one with the...hammer on the end of it?"_

_He released a slow exhale of frustration, knowing he was about seconds from screaming in her face. "No. That's a hammer. Get me a _wrench._"_

_She was so adorably useless with tools that it was all Sasuke could do not to laugh at her. Skittish, she slipped on the water as she stood up, grabbed his arm for support, and when their eyes met, he was surprised to see that she was blushing. Releasing him like his arm was made of fire, she fled the kitchen in search of a wrench._

_Sasuke watched her rush off with his eyebrows raised. Sakura was not a frequent blusher, at least not anymore. Was she just embarrassed at her utter inability to fix her sink?_

_Would it do to entertain the possibility that she was blushing because she'd touched him? Would it do to stroke his ego like that?_

_Dealing with Sakura was equally as exciting as it was infuriating. She was absolutely going to drive him to a heart attack or suicide, depending on what kind of mood she was in. He was surprised his jet black hair hadn't turned white yet, after so many years of handling her._

_Sakura returned not with a wrench, but laden down with an entire toolkit swiped from her father's office. For someone so small, she was surprisingly strong; that kit had to weigh fifty pounds, but she didn't look strained in the slightest carrying it._

_"I...didn't know which one was...a wrench," she mumbled sheepishly, setting the toolkit in front of him._

_"You could not be more useless," Sasuke felt the need to inform her, and the insult had the opposite effect he'd planned on, drawing a smile from her. He'd long since lost his ability to hurt her feelings. Ignoring the way she stared, he reached into the kit and grabbed the wrench before getting to work._

_It was impossible not to acknowledge how domestic the scene was, Sasuke hard at work with tools fixing something for Sakura in her kitchen. He refused to admit to himself that he liked the idea of being domestic with Sakura, and returned his attention to the leaky pipe._

_"When you're done," he heard her say, her voice unusually squeaky, "I'll make you dinner. Um. To thank you. For helping me fuck the...I mean...fix the sink. Big arms. No, I didn't say that! Dinner. When you're done, I'll do the sex. No, not that, I'll do the dinner making for the meal!"_

_She was absolutely incoherent, and Sasuke _refused_ to get his hopes up about what was really on her mind. Instead, a roguish smirk crossed his features as he finished up the pipe, and he looked around at her and said flatly, "Sakura. You're wet."_

xoxoxo

Remembering how fiercely she'd blushed that day, a full year later, nearly made him chuckle out loud. After that day, Sakura learned plenty about tools, determined to never look useless in front of Sasuke again. When his tire blew on the way to one of her dance recitals a few months later, she knew exactly what a wrench looked like and handed it to him without any struggle. But Sasuke was too busy concentrating on his irritation to reminisce about old times.

He was covered in mosquito bites, he was sweating, he was saddled with three idiots each more useless than the last, and what's more, Sakura didn't even have the decency to fuck up properly, as he'd expected. Would it kill her to be unable to pitch a tent?

"We're not smelly!" Naruto hissed indignantly, when Sakura called them all 'smelly boys.' They were concealed in the bushes behind the girls' campsite, watching through the trees and planning their onslaught. "Well, Kiba is Dumbass stepped in a pile of deer shit."

"Fuck you, bitch," Kiba snapped back, and Sasuke smacked them both upside the head.

"Shut up," he growled. "We need a plan."

"Take 'em down a few pegs," Shikamaru chimed in. He was feeling particularly vengeful towards Ino about his wounded junk; even if they were mending their friendship and putting any plans for a relationship on hold, he still hadn't quite forgiven her for incinerating his masculine pride in a fit of feminine fury.

"You mean a prank?" Naruto forgot his anger at being hit by Sasuke immediately, and his blue eyes shone with fevered excitement. "That'd be _sweet._ We could scare the _shit_ out of them out here!"

"Sure could," laughed Kiba. "I owe Ino for this nose."

Sasuke smirked. "All right. Here's what we're gonna do."

xoxoxo

Sakura's voice was low, the LED light from her cell phone illuminating the bottom half of her face like a flashlight against the gathering darkness of the warm summer night. A vicious grin twisted her pretty features as she continued with her scary story.

"...and the ugly, boring girl opened her eyes...and to her shock...the vampire boy was _sparkling!_"

"Sakura this is not a scary story," Ino said flatly. "Twilight is sacred to most females, you know."

"I'm not done, Hogulous," snapped Sakura. "As I was saying...the vampire boy, glittering in the sunlight, said, 'I want to watch you while you're sleeping. And then I will plant my vampire seed within you. And because you have _absolutely no goals for yourself,_ you will become a vampire too and raise our abomination. OOOOOOHHH!"

"Still not scary, asshole."

"You know what scares me? Is how Twilight is actually liked by anyone. Bella singlehandedly sets the women's rights movement back a thousand years."

"Don't turn this into a political issue, Forehead."

"It's true! Think about it. She mopes about life and is obsessed with a guy who is a _century old._ She has zero ambition. She doesn't care about her friends or family members at all, and the second she has the opportunity to become a soulless murderer immortal, she takes it because then she gets to be with _Edward._ She gives up everything that makes her a relatable human being so she can be pretty and raise Edward's vampire spawn."

"Sakura..."

"Not just that, but vampires are the bad guys. Remember? They're supposed to bite people and drink their blood for sustenance. Not _glitter._ It is an offense to everything. Twilight should be stopped."

Okay, so they weren't roughing it _exactly,_ but there were some comforts that a 21st century girl simply couldn't deny herself. Like hairspray, which acted as a decent accelerant to their fire, started by the cigarette lighter in the Jeep. They sat around the fire roasting marshmallows on sticks, trading scary stories.

Or rather, listening to Sakura's familiar rant about why Twilight is horrific.

"I would like to posit a question as well," Sakura continued, peeling a burnt marshmallow off the point of her stick and squishing it between her fingers. "Babies are made from sexytime. Sexytime only happens because of boners. Boners only happen because of blood flow. And vampires don't have blood, yeah? Which begs the question...how do vampires have sex?"

Hinata blinked. "Sakura...that's ac-actually a really g-good question."

"There's a jillion plot holes," she replied. "I could forgive Twilight being a suckass book series with primitive themes, if it was all actually cohesive but it's not. And anyone who thinks it's better than Harry Potter should be arrested immediately."

"Forehead your one-woman crusade against every thirteen-year-old girl's bible of choice just isn't panning out the way you want it to. I see where you're coming from, believe me, I do. But we're supposed to be telling scary stories. Not debating the feminist ethics of a terrible book series."

"Ah, but you acknowledge that they're terrible! And so I have converted you."

Hinata was about to giggle when the snap of a broken twig behind her stopped her short. She whipped around to see what made the noise, but saw nothing. Only the ominous howl of a coyote somewhere in the mountains, and the hooting of an owl.

"Something wrong, Hinata?" Ino asked. "Your marshmallow just fell off your stick."

"I thought I heard s-s-something."

"Maybe it's the Cullens out hunting animals," Sakura suggested dryly. "Because, you know. All vampires eat animals. And not people blood."

"I'm s-s-serious!" Hinata squeaked, as another twig snapped behind her, this time, even closer than the first. "Something's out th-there!"

Ino and Sakura went silent, and the eerie glow of firelight illuminated their pale, frightened faces. Their eyes went wide as they stared at something past Hinata's head.

"What is it?" she asked worriedly, as Sakura, eyes wide, grabbed Ino's wrist for support and pointed shakily behind Hinata.

"There's...there's..."

"Oh sweet baby fucking Jesus," hissed Ino.

Something dark, loud, and impossibly scary came crashing out of the woods towards their camp, and three high-pitched, keening screams rang out in the night.

xoxoxo

**note..** I hate Twilight. Sorry if you like it. Also...I've been getting PMs lately from different people wanting to chat and IT'S GOING STRAIGHT TO MY HEAD. Message me if you like, I'm fun to talk to. (If nonstop cusswords and anti-Twilight, pro-democrat tangents are not offensive to you.) Hope you liked it, see you next time!


	48. Long Time Coming

**note..** Before I give you this romantical escapade direct from my own sexy experiences, I wanted to THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for your reviews! They're so kind and helpful, and they keep me going! Hope you guys aren't tired of seeing thirty-eight updates a week from me, I know I'm monopolizing the entire fanfiction but I _can't stop writing this. _I got a PM from a reader today asking permission to illustrate scenes from Catch You Later for deviantart. The answer, to them and everyone else, is YES THAT IS SO FUCKING COOL. If you do, though, please leave me a link so I can see it for myself and bask in your talents. I LOVE YOU ALL YOU MAKE ME WANT TO WRITE THIS FUCKING SHIT FOREVER.

xoxoxo

"You really should know better by now," Sakura sighed, wrapping an Ace bandage around Naruto's ankle. "Trying to scare us. Pitiful."

Naruto winced at her touch, massaging an ugly bruise on his jaw and thinking back to where it all went wrong.

It had been such a simplistic, ingenious idea. The girls were huddled around their campfire, trading scary stories or talking about their periods or whatever the hell girls talked about. In short, they were sitting ducks.

Naruto sat on top of Kiba's shoulders, having covered himself with leafy tree branches and thick underbrush; in the darkness, they looked terrifying, especially with the guttural wailing sounds Naruto was making. The pair of them would petrify the girls at the right moment, while Shikamaru filmed it with his phone and Sasuke, concealed completely in the shadows, braced himself in preparation for an all-out chase. The fastest runner at Konoha High School, with a head start, he would be able to block any attempt they made at flight.

It was perfect. A perfect, perfect prank.

At least, it should have been.

Naruto really shouldn't have underestimated them. His throbbing ankle was testimony to that. Everything had gone so horribly, terribly _wrong._

It had begun with his and Kiba's arrival at their campsite. Hinata heard them coming and warned the others. The looks on their faces had been almost worth it as they came crashing through the underbrush, four arms spread wide and both of them moaning and stumbling towards them. Hinata, Sakura, and Ino released high-pitched, keening screams of fright.

But rather than freeze with terror, or take off into the woods, the maniacs had decided they were going to go all feminist and defend _themselves._

"GO BACK FROM WHENCE YOU CAME, CULLEN!" Sakura screamed; recovering the fastest from her fear, she launched herself at the eight-foot, four-armed monster, tackling Kiba bodily at the waist.

"Oh shit," Kiba winced, and Naruto knew what was coming, and was utterly powerless to stop it. Sakura hit Kiba with the force of a thousand linebackers and took him _down._ Which regrettably meant that she took Naruto, still balanced precariously on his shoulders, down as well, and twice as hard. He landed directly on his ankle and released a howl of pain the likes of which had never been heard by modern man.

"There's a shadow man!" roared Ino, pointing into the woods. With a feral shriek of rage, she seized the nearest object, the still-burning citrinella candle, and hurled it with pinpoint accuracy into the woods, where it connected with its intended target.

"SON OF A WHORE, INO!" a familiar voice roared. "RIGHT IN THE DICK _AGAIN!_"

"Again?" yelped Hinata, throwing sticks and rocks at random at the creature Sakura was wrestling with. "You mean..."

Sakura let out a snarl of feminine fury. "SASUKEEEEEE!"

The rest of it was a blur to Naruto. Hinata hit him square between the eyes with a small, frighteningly sharp rock which knocked him loopy for most of the ordeal. He vaguely recalled Sasuke running towards the fray and having a loud and nasty argument with Sakura, who continued to throw things at him shrieking things like, "FOREST STALKER" and "REMORSELESS ASSHOLE TAKE A HINT AND LEAVE US ALONE"; Shikamaru rolled around on the ground trying to smother the flames that had taken hold of the front of his shorts, marking the second time in a week that his junk had been in danger of incinerating; Hinata fainted from the overexcitement; and Kiba, a true friend, shouted for someone to tend to Naruto.

To say that their perfect prank had fucking backfired was an understatement. Now, they all sat around the fire in various states of injury, while Sakura worked on Naruto's ankle.

"This serves you right," she informed him icily. "Sneaking up on a bunch of defenseless girls like that. In the middle of the _forest,_ no less. Ass. HOLES."

"This doesn't count as you catching us either," Ino snapped. "Seeing as we could totally leave your gimpy ass out here in the woods and head out on our own!"

Naruto chuckled sheepishly as Sakura tied off the end of the bandage and sighed. "It's not broken, just a simple sprain," she informed him, her voice slightly irritated but very kind nonetheless. "Keep some ice on it, for the swelling. No strenuous activities for a couple of days. Like _stalking._ Understand?"

"Yes ma'am!" He even saluted her, which made her giggle. "You'll be a great doctor someday, Sakura-chan, dattebayo!"

"Seven of us in a three-man tent," Shikamaru snorted. "Jesus. We've had some shitty sleeping arrangements on this trip so far but I'd say this takes the cake."

Kiba, meanwhile, had lost himself in a fantasy involving himself sandwiched between a scantily-clad Ino and Sakura overnight in a small, sweaty tent. (Just because he'd thrown in the towel on Sakura romantically didn't mean he no longer found her fucking gorgeous.) He could not be reached for comment.

"Why don't you boys take the tent, and we'll just find a nice hotel or something?" Sakura suggested sweetly, but Sasuke's bored look told her what he thought of that.

"Nice try," he drawled. "Let's go. My Jetta."

His face was expressionless, but something _smoldered_ in his eyes, something dangerous that sent a thrill of bubbles floating through her stomach. She found herself returning the look with a flutter of eyelashes, and it boosted her feminine pride when he smirked slowly at her and stood, nodding towards the woods.

"Hold it, Romeo, what about us?" snapped Kiba.

"Figure it out yourselves," Sasuke snapped back. He could not care less what they decided to do, not when he had Sakura by the elbow and she had him by the heartstrings. With astonishingly little struggle, she waved goodbye to the others and followed without complaint.

"You better not be bringing me out here to off me, you aardvark," Sakura hissed warningly as he led her through the thick underbrush towards his car. "I'm serious, you left five witnesses, you know. And everyone knows you've been stalking me like a weirdo this whole trip so you'd be suspect number one. And do you know what they'd do to you in prison? Pretty boys like you? You're…"

Sasuke stopped abruptly, whirled around, and tugged her close to his body, leaning in close so he knew he had her attention. He was rewarded with the sight of her wide, surprised eyes, a pretty blush blooming across her cheeks, and her complete silence as he murmured, "You are so annoying."

Her eyes narrowed, and she opened her mouth to say something but was stopped by Sasuke continuing, "Maybe that's why I can't leave you alone." With that, he pulled her in all the way and slanted his lips over hers.

Xoxoxo

She was shocked.

Or maybe she wasn't. Maybe she knew what was coming, where all this was going, and the fact that it was to be expected was what shocked her.

She knew Sasuke was attracted to her. They had excellent physical chemistry. Just making eyes at him left her hot and bothered. At the slightest touch, something warm bloomed in her stomach, a foreign feeling she wanted nothing more than to embrace completely.

But was that where the connection ended?

She wasn't sure. She knew she loved Sasuke, knew she was in love with him, but she didn't know if he felt the same way. She doubted he would use her; they were close friends and she trusted him with her life.

But could she trust him with her heart?

Sasuke pulled back slightly; he searched her face in the darkness, and she felt vulnerable and exposed beneath his probing gaze.

"Come on," he murmured, his voice full of sinful promise.

"Sasuke-kun, I…what are we even doing?" Sakura blurted out the question without thinking, and judging by the surprised look on his face, he hadn't expected this reaction. Nonetheless, she didn't regret it. No matter what circumstance or how special the guy, Sakura was not the type of girl to give herself away completely without getting anything back. And the least Sasuke owed her after all this time was the truth.

"Going to my car," Sasuke bit out. His frustration showed in his eyes, even in the darkness, and Sakura hesitated before pressing, "No, I mean…this. Us. I don't need much, just…"

She broke off, nerves threatening to swallow her completely, and to her _horror,_ tears burned in her eyes that she hoped he couldn't see.

"Is this nothing to you?" Sakura asked finally, her voice soft. "Is this just…are you…"

"Look at me," Sasuke ordered sharply. Nervously she forced herself to meet his eyes, and there was a warmth in them that contradicted the harsh, frustrated tone of his voice. "I'm only gonna say this once so stop _thinking_. This is _something. You_ are something."

It wasn't a marriage proposal. It wasn't an 'I love you.' It wasn't an 'I like you.' But it was Sasuke, and it was honest, and it was the hidden promise of something more. It was _something,_ and instantly, Sakura felt her doubts and reservations melt away into the chilly night air.

A smile unfurled across her face, a bright, happy smile, and with a newfound confidence, she slipped her hand behind his neck, curled her fingers through his black hair, and pulled his head down to meet her lips in a passionate kiss.

Xoxoxo

The reality of the situation was sinking in, and Sasuke wondered how much faster his heart could pound before he succumbed to cardiac arrest. He'd been drunk before, high before. He'd been the winning pitcher at the high school championship baseball game, he'd been accepted to his first-choice college. He'd enjoyed his fair share of success, exhilaration.

None of it compared to this.

It felt like nothing else in the world. Helpless and powerful all at once, like he was about to screw up royally but could do no wrong. Here she was, bright and beautiful and happy, her arms around him, willing and glad to be with him. He couldn't believe his luck, and not for the first time, he questioned Sakura's sanity.

She had her choice of pretty much every guy on Earth, and she'd chosen him. Something had to be wrong with her head, but whatever it was, he was blindingly grateful to it.

"Come on," he breathed against her lips. "My car's not far."

Sakura giggled, the sound impossibly sexy. She grabbed his hand and whispered, "Then let's hurry, Sasuke-kun. I don't think I can wait much longer."

Sasuke had never been aroused so quickly. Never in his life.

He didn't remember the run back to the car, nestled in the parking lot of the campground beside the infamous purple Jeep. He didn't remember much about the way she laughed and teased him, the way she pulled on his wrist or how her slender dancer's limbs moved as she curled herself around him like a disease he never wanted to cure.

He remembered the way she pressed him against the driver's side door with surprising strength, and looked up at him with a storm in her wild green eyes. Her hair was coming loose from its ponytail and her face was clean of makeup, her cheeks flushed from the run; her chest heaved in the thin pink tank top she wore beneath a light gray zip-up hoodie. Her lips were slightly parted, swollen from their fevered kisses, and he became aware that he'd never seen anything sexier in his entire life.

"You're beautiful." Sasuke heard himself say it, and Sakura's lips tilted in a flattered smile before she kissed him long and languidly, her hips pressed against his in a silent invitation.

"I've always wanted to do this with you," Sakura admitted, and though her movements were confident, her words were shy. She was as nervous and excited as he was, and his heart, not quite as cold as he'd like people to believe, warmed at this new connection.

"Aa," he agreed. His fingers tugged her hair tie from her hair; curtains of thick pink locks fell down her back and bounced at her shoulders. She was absurdly lovely even in the darkness, and he couldn't believe his luck. "For years, Sakura."

The confession seemed to excite her. His fingers moved through her silky hair, and her eyes slid shut in pleasure before she whispered, "Then don't make me wait any longer."

Xoxoxo


	49. National Holiday

How long had this sexual tension existed between them?

Sasuke, holding Sakura like she was fragile as he moved within her, realized he couldn't name the exact moment in his life when Haruno Sakura stopped being a complete annoyance and started becoming the center of his universe. But this raw chemistry existed long before he recognized that what he felt for her was love, and after years of frustration, of fighting when they could have been fucking, of masking that hidden passion for one another behind playful flirting and feigned indifference, Sasuke felt what it was like to be completely whole.

His breath wouldn't come out right. Adrenaline kept him moving where sheer exhaustion would have otherwise claimed him; he doubted he would ever be able to let go of her after this. She lay beneath him, legs wrapped around his waist, hands roaming his body and soft little breaths escaping her as she whispered his name, urged him to keep going. He'd been gentle with her the whole time, knowing it was her first time, but Sakura was much more resilient than her appearance would suggest.

There were things about her he'd never known before, that he was seeing for the first time in the backseat of his car. The fact that her eyes were not merely green, but mint in the center, darker on the rims and a warm, shimmering gold at the iris. Her hair curled from sweat rather than remain as straight as he thought it grew naturally. She had a scar on her stomach, relic of an experience he had no recollection of, small and pink on the taut skin. It blew his mind to know that a girl he'd spent the last two years ogling with absolute devotion could reveal so much to him in one night that he'd never seen before.

Nothing in his life could compare to this singularly unique experience. Prior to committing himself completely to Sakura (even if it was only in his head, and she didn't know), he'd viewed sex as an unwelcome distraction, a form of pent-up release marginally more satisfying than smoking a J. And then he'd come back from Oto, and seen her, and sex took on a whole new meaning. To say he hadn't entertained more than a few fantasies about her over the years was a complete lie.

And now it was actually happening, and Sasuke had fully expected awkwardness, clumsy movements on both their parts and the timidity that accompanied being completely exposed, physically and emotionally, to a different person. To his shock, and satisfaction, it seemed to be the opposite. Sakura was beautiful, and years of dance left her body toned and lithe; she knew her body and how to move, where to touch him to eilcit the strongest reactions. And if the look on her face, and the way she kept gasping his name and how good it felt and how perfect it was, Sakura didn't seem to have any complaints either.

Sasuke had hoped to make her first time special for her. He doubted her ideal experience would be in the backseat of his Jetta in the middle of the Iwa woods, but any lingering regret he might have felt flew out the window when her green eyes slipped open, locked on his, and she murmured, "This is so perfect, Sasuke-kun."

"I don't deserve this," he growled out, knowing he was drawing close now, knowing it was almost time. "Fuck, Sakura...I don't deserve you."

Despite the fact that she was nearing a toe-curling big finale and they both knew it, despite the fact that she was sweaty and exhausted and gasping for breath, Sakura managed to smile at him so beautifully that his heart almost stopped.

"Let me decide that," she whispered. "I'm so glad it's you, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke's vision went white as spasms rocked his body, something white-hot and ice-cold all at once surging through his bloodstream, electrifying each of his nerves and sending a thrill of _something_ rocketing up his spine. In his arms, Sakura cried out his name in unbridled delight and the perfect, perfect moment dissippated into nothingness. He stilled within her and they collapsed in the backseat, completely spent.

xoxoxo

She'd just had sex.

For the first time.

With Uchiha Sasuke.

Sakura tried very hard to wrap her mind around these facts, but it was hard through the overwhelmingly pleasant haze that had descended in the steamy Jetta. In the aftermath, Sakura felt nothing but satisfaction, nothing but complete and utter wholeness. Sasuke's head rested on her chest, and she ran her fingers gently through his damp hair, enjoying his low hum of approval.

Moments passed, the car silent except for their ragged breathing and the loud thundering of Sasuke's heartbeat, or was it hers? She'd long since lost the ability to distinguish between her heart and Sasuke's; she'd given herself to him long before they'd sealed the deal sexually.

"Are you all right?" he asked finally, his voice low.

"Yeah," she breathed. She was more than all right, she was _perfect._ Nothing would ever, ever beat this, she would never be happier in her life than she was at that moment.

"I didn't mean...to be so rough," Sasuke admitted. His tone was almost shy as his hands traced small, finger-sized bruises on her hip where he'd gripped her so tightly.

Sakura giggled. That was _so like_ him, to be concerned with all the ways she'd been hurt, rather than all the ways he'd made her happy. She kissed the crown of his head and murmured, "I tore your back and sides to shreds. Let's just call it even."

She still didn't know how Sasuke felt about her, not for sure. It was a sobering thought at a time like this, but Sakura was a realist. You could have sex without being in love. Most people did.

But at that moment, knowing it was _something,_ knowing Sasuke cared enough to be gentle, to take it slow, to hold her like she mattered, it was enough. Not forever; she knew if they had any chance at having the committed relationship she'd always wanted with him, that just caring on his part wouldn't be enough. But for right now, it was.

Sasuke lifted his head and his eyes bore into her own. A smirk, closer to a smile than anything, tilted one corner of his lips and he leaned up to kiss her forehead.

"Thank you," he breathed against her skin.

xoxoxo

"There's no way they didn't bang," Naruto said conversationally.

On his left, Ino growled into her sleeping bag. "Shut _up,_ you amoeba. Go to sleep."

"This is _historic,_ Ino! They've been playing sexy cat and mouse for years! They should declare today a national holiday."

"The day someone finally kills you," Shikamaru grumbled from his right, "should be a national holiday. Shut the fuck up and go to sleep."

The three-men tent was crammed to bursting with four tired teenagers and a wide awake Naruto. He lay in the middle, attempting to engage his friends in a three am discussion on the legendary hook-up of Sasuke and Sakura. Unfortunately, nobody seemed much inclined to go into it. It was achingly hot in the cramped little tent, and after a long day of traveling, all anybody wanted was some sleep.

But damn it if Naruto would let that happen so easily, not when something _historic_ was happening a couple miles away.

Naruto was ecstatic for his friends. He'd nursed a burning crush for Sakura during elementary school, one that morphed into a brother-sister love over time. He treasured Sakura, adored her, would do anything for her, but he'd recognized that what he felt for her was not love of the romantic variety.

Besides, it went against bro code to go after your best friend's girl. And Sakura, whether she knew it or not, had been labeled Uchiha property from the age of five.

"I bet she was on top," he speculated sagely. "She seems like the kind of girl who'd be-"

"Say one more word and I will castrate you," Ino growled threateningly.

"But it's-"

"_Naruto._" Everyone in the tent gasped in shock at the speaker, whose voice was so chillingly menacing that the stifling heat morphed immediately to a winter's frost. It was none other than an exhausted, thoroughly pissed-off Hinata, growling from her sleeping bag. "Shut your mouth and go to sleep. Unless you'd like _two_ sprained ankles."

Little Hinata. As scary as her friends.

Naruto winced. Two he could handle. But now that Sakura and Ino had corrupted Hinata-chan as well?

He sighed and snuggled into his sleeping bag as ordered. Never again would he have a moment's peace.

xoxoxo

Sasuke and Sakura, deciding that they'd rather not be caught by their friends, any forest rangers, or wild mountain lions without their clothes on, dressed again rather sloppily before tucking in for the night. Sasuke felt an exhaustion unlike any other, similar to the kind he often felt after a rewarding workout, but to the tenth power. The coil of frustration that had been buiilding and building within him snapped, and for the first time in a long time, he felt nothing but satisfaction. Contentment. As he lay down in the back, his arm tucking a sleepy, sexy Sakura between his side and the backseat, he didn't know what else he could ask for that he didn't already have.

Sakura fell asleep with a smile on her face. Not much later, and Sasuke did the same.

xoxoxo

**note..** Hahaha I didn't have the heart to interrupt them before they could seal the deal. I must be getting predictable if all of you guessed I'd have some terrible catastrophe befall them before they finally got it in. But sex doesn't mean all their problems are solved, so stick with me to the end!

Not _really_ a sexytime, so I hope it didn't offend anyone. But hands up if, like me, your special time was in the backseat of a Jetta! And hands up again if it was AWESOME. (My hand's up.) Hahaha love you guys, see you soon!


	50. Ceasefire For Now

When Sasuke woke up the next morning, he became aware of three things.

1) Birds were chirping.

2) The sun was shining.

3) His arm was numb.

All of these were things that would typically piss him off. Birds were annoying. The summer sun was bright, and very annoying. And his arm being numb was probably the most annoying thing of all.

But he couldn't find the energy to be as pissed off as he should have been, because, when his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw the reason that his arm was numb; a pretty pink head was lying on it.

Well that explained it. Memories of the previous night came rushing back and Sasuke couldn't resist the smile that spread across his face.

He lay like that for awhile, his long limbs crammed somewhat uncomfortably into the backseat of his Jetta, while Sakura slept soundly tucked between his body and the seat cushion. She looked breathtaking first thing in the morning, and he had half a mind to spend the rest of the day there with her, but common sense (and hunger) won out. They couldn't remain here much longer without their friends spotting them and the resulting teasing and taunting would be _unbearable._

Not to mention, hours of intense making out and finally claiming Haruno Sakura's virginity (and losing his own) left him starving.

"Wake up," he murmured in her ear.

Sakura stirred, opened her eyes, and smiled up at him, a sweet smile he rarely got to see anymore, what with how frequently her devious smirks were appearing lately. There was nothing in her big green eyes but warmth and affection, all of it directed towards him.

"Morning, Sasuke-kun," she said sleepily.

"Aa. We should get up."

"Okay."

Well, at least she was agreeable when she first woke up. He disentangled himself from her and stepped out of his car into the sunshine. Hours of sleeping in such a small space left his shoulders sore; apparently Sakura, following him out, was suffering the same aches.

"Ow," she mumbled. "Damn it. Hang on, I gotta stretch this out."

Sasuke was confused, but quickly figured out her intention when she bent over backwards, arching her back to stretch the tense muscles, and reminding him instantly of everything that had transpired the night before. He felt his neck burn and quickly looked away.

"Much better," she sighed, shaking her long, wavy pink hair out of her face and smiling brightly. "All right, so that proves it. I can totally go camping. And so you were wrong."

"Tch. You didn't _camp_ anywhere. You slept in my car."

She dismissed his counterargument with a wave of her hand. "So now that that's settled...let's get the hell out of these woods. I hate camping, I believe."

"Let's?" Sasuke repeated, raising an eyebrow.

Sakura smiled. "Well...Naruto's out of commission technically, so it really wouldn't be fair of us to try and outrun you because we'd succeed and you'd be embarrassed and sulky and boo. So, we're on our way to a new city. Why don't you guys tag along this time?"

xoxoxo

Hinata was excited.

They were sitting around the table at a local diner, the smelly woods far behind them, all of them together just like old times. And it was decided that, this time, the boys would be going with them, a fact that put them all in better moods.

This was just a temporary armistice, Sakura had said emphatically. An experimental peace treaty. By no means had they surrendered the game they were playing; they were just temporarily altering the rules to suit their purposes. Which happened all the time in football, Sakura pointed out.

Hinata didn't care what Sakura's justification was. She was sitting here beside Naruto, who was shoveling French toast into his mouth at a shocking velocity, and she felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

xoxoxo

Ino knew from just one look at her best friend what happened.

"Tell me I won't have any Ino Juniors running around anytime soon," she said slyly, and giggled when Sakura blushed furiously behind her menu.

"Do you take me for an idiot?" she hissed back, glancing frantically around to make sure no one overheard their conversation. Naruto was eating too fast and too loud to notice anything, Hinata was too busy noticing Naruto to notice anything else, and the other guys were arguing over whose turn it was to pay. Coast clear, she added, "We used a condom! And I've been on birth control for three years."

Ino laughed. "Good. Now that we established that you're not a total fucking moron...how was it?"

Sakura blushed as pink as her hair before whispering, "Ino it was amazing. It was so perfect. I can't...I'm just..."

"Say no more," Ino replied sagely. "I can read it all over your face. Happiest I've ever seen you. And Sasuke looks more relaxed than I've ever seen him. Which means y'alls totally banged and now the rest of the universe can exhale a collective sigh of relief."

The waitress came round to take their orders, an older brunette woman whose hungry eyes settled exclusively on Sasuke.

"Anything I can give to you, honey?" she asked with an unmistakably seductive undertone.

Ino snorted. "Nothing he's not already getting from this one," she said, jerking a thumb in a mortified Sakura's direction. "Now give me the egg beaters. Wheat toast, with strawberry jam spread evenly across. God help you if it is not an even distribution of jam. Also let me holla at the turkey bacon and a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice, no pulp. God help you if I find one piece of pulp."

The waitress looked irritated at the fact that her handsome young quarry was spoken for, and even more irritated at Ino's obnoxious order.

Ino smirked.

All in a day's work.

xoxoxo

To their credit, no one spoke about Sasuke and Sakura's obvious hook-up after the waitress incident. Apparently it was just so obvious that nobody needed to discuss it. Sakura took a certain measure of relief in knowing that her sex life (could she call it that yet?) would remain private, at least until such a time as she and Sasuke sorted out what they wanted from each other, and where to go next.

Sakura now found herself in the awkward stage of post-hookup but pre-relationship fog. She didn't know what she was to Sasuke anymore than she had before last night, nor did he know of her feelings for him in return.

This couldn't be a one-time thing, and Sasuke may have a lot of faults, but he was not one to lead a girl on. The fact that he'd hooked up with her in the first place was practically wondrous, since she'd never seen him with any girls back in school. She didn't even know if he was a virgin before last night like she was.

Sakura sighed into her coffee. Everything felt so perfect when she'd woken up this morning, tired and a little sore but wrapped up in Sasuke-kun's arms, the only place she felt completely safe. But now, out of the Jetta and back in the real world, she found herself embroiled with the same doubts and frustrations as before. Sex hadn't solved her problems; it had given her more to deal with.

Remembering the way Sasuke moved, his calloused hands roaming over her body, the soft words he'd murmured into her ear, made her blush at the table, and she ducked down to eat her grapefruit to hide it. She remembered the first time she realized she not only liked Sasuke, not only loved Sasuke, but _wanted_ him, wanted him in the way she'd had him last night.

xoxoxo

_It was close to 90 degrees out and Sakura, dressed in one of Sasuke's practice jerseys and a pair of microscopic shorts, knee-high tubesocks, and two long pink pigtails, was sweltering. She and a horde of other girls dressed in their Konoha High School best, going so far as to paint their faces with the numbers of their favorite baseball players, and braved the early June sun to support the baseball team at an away game in Suna. The final game of the season, to be exact: the championship round._

_She sat in the bleachers, squinting against the harsh sun, and seeing him standing on the pitcher's mound made her hot all over again. Sakura was unsurprised to hear his ubiquitous herd of fangirls squealing and fawning from the crowd and would be goddamned before she let Sasuke see that she was just as enamored as they were._

_But it wasn't easy to hide it. Sasuke looked gorgeous in a stark white baseball uniform, short-sleeved and showing his rock-hard arm muscles. A baseball cap rested on his messy black hair, and if he noticed the agonizing heat, it didn't show on his face. Black eyes were locked on the catcher, Naruto, who was calling pitches with hand signals._

_Sakura's mouth went dry as Sasuke nodded slightly, confirming that he'd be pitching a slider, before touching the ball to his glove, coiling in preparation like a snake, and letting the ball fly into Naruto's waiting glove._

_The Suna batter swung and missed, and Sasuke's smirk at his eleventh strikeout of the game nearly sent Sakura spiraling into a fit of giggles. But she allowed her love of baseball to overrule her love of his overall sexiness, and shouted out, "One more out, Sasuke-kun!"_

_Konoha was winning by one run, and it was the bottom of the ninth inning with one of Suna's runners on second base in scoring position. There was one out, and up to bat was team captain Gaara, widely regarded as one of the best baseball players in the country. If he made contact, it was likely the Suna runner on second base would score to tie the game; if he hit a homerun, then the game would end in a walk-off and the KHS baseball team and their fans would have to make a long, miserable journey back home as losers. Frighteningly enough, even if Sasuke managed to strike him out, his brother Kankurou was up to bat behind him with just as much opportunity to score._

_It was certainly a tense situation, but Sakura had seen Sasuke deal himself out of jams like this before._

_Gaara tapped the heels of his cleats with his bat before raising it to show he was ready. Sasuke shook off Naruto's first calls and confirmed the third: a fastball strike. A dangerous first pitch, given the likelihood that it would be hit, but Sakura knew that Sasuke's pitching style was aggressive, relentless. He took risks, and most of the time, they paid off well for him._

_Sure enough, the radar gun clocked his first pitch at 92 mph. Sakura gasped. That was speed to rival the pitchers in the Major Leagues!_

_Hot, sexy, and athletic? _You can't be all three, Sasuke,_ she thought sourly._

_"This is fucking tense, man!" Ino moaned next to Sakura, gripping her two long blonde pigtails in agitation._

_"Sasuke-kun's got it!" Sakura said reassuringly. "He's not gonna lose this game for us."_

_The crowd was cheering, split down the middle: half for Sasuke's stellar pitching, half for Gaara's skill at the plate. The scorching heat and blazing sun lay forgotten for the moment as Sasuke threw a sinker, and Gaara swung and missed._

_The next fastball was too high, and Gaara let it by for ball 1. Another sinker, he hit foul and stayed alive, and the same with the following curveball._

_Sakura recognized the pitch Sasuke was about to throw before he signaled to Naruto, judging by the way his long fingers rotated the baseball in his hand. She suddenly thought up a very different activity for those gorgeous hands, and had to actually shake her head to dispel the vivid imagery. Sasuke's expression oozed confidence, and his arm muscles flexed as he let the ball fly._

_Gaara swung and hit it hard, a ground ball deep center. But Sasuke smirked, knowing exactly what would come next: Sakura realized it hadn't been his intention to strike Gaara out, but to get him to ground into a double play. Sure enough, the second baseman, senior Hyuuga Neji, seized the ball on the third bounce and tagged the runner making his way to third base, before hurling it at lightspeed to first baseman Kiba, who tagged Gaara trying to run it in._

_A double play._

_A game-ending double play._

_Konoha fans in the audience ERUPTED. The cheering was deafening, and many of the fans raced onto the field to congratulate the 2011 championship Konoha High School baseball team. Sakura leaped gleefully into Sasuke's arms, attaching herself to him while she shrieked congratulations in his ear. She fully expected him to throw her off and call her some horrible name, but apparently the thrill of victory was intoxicating even for Uchiha Sasuke, who merely smirked and wrapped an arm around her waist._

_The feel of his strong arm around her, the closeness of their bodies, the fact that he was sweaty and manly but still smelled like mint and clean cotton, all of it combined to make Sakura dizzy with desire. Sasuke, with his devilish smirk and his sinful good looks and those bottomless black eyes would be the death of her, and they still had an entire year of high school to go._

_She gulped. _Oh fuck me.

xoxoxo

Recalling that day, the day she realized she wanted Uchiha Sasuke in the biblical sense, made her blush all the way to the roots of her hair. She thought she'd had it bad just lusting for him, but now that she'd actually slept with him? How the hell was she supposed to keep her hands off of him now?

xoxoxo

"All right, boys, we're letting you tag along so please don't be big giant cockulouses about it," Ino said bossily as she unfurled the dog-eared road map onto the table.

"Yeah, yeah," snorted Kiba. "So where we goin' next, Your Majesty?"

"Here," Ino said, pointing. "Since we hit Iwa, Suna, Kumo and Ame already, why don't we try here next?"

"Oh, sweet!" exclaimed Naruto. "They've got that bangin-ass theme park there, dattebayo!"

"And it's on-only three hours from h-h-here," Hinata chimed in, looking excited as well.

"Where we headed?" Kiba wanted to know, and Ino smirked before pointing to a city directly in the center of the map with a little musical note beside its name.

"Otogakure."

Sasuke stiffened. Fuck.

xoxoxo

**note..** Thank you all so fucking much for your reviews and support and everything. Everyone here is just so very very nice and I'm so glad that people are still reading this monster. Drama to unfold soon, like lots of it. Because it's Sasuke and Sakura and shit's always going down with them. Will they survive?

Yes. They will. Happy endings and whatnot. But act surprised anyway. Let me know what you think! xoxo Daisy


	51. Keep 'Em Separated

Sasuke's stomach twisted.

Oto.

He'd left at the beginning of junior year with absolutely no intention of ever returning.

To say he had no fond memories of Oto High School would be a lie. He'd made some friends there in spite of himself, and not _everyone_ who attended deserved the bad reputation that Oto students had garnered themselves. But he'd put all of it behind him. He'd transferred to Oto for all the wrong reasons, and returning to Konoha, to his best friends and the people who knew him best and cared for him most, was the best decision he'd ever made.

He wasn't sure why, but he didn't want Naruto, Sakura, and the others to meet the kids he knew at Oto.

Somehow, they didn't fit together in his mind. Sasuke kept them separate. Naruto would always be his best friend. Sakura would always be his special girl. Shikamaru and Kiba and Ino and everyone else back home, his crew.

Oto was full of nothing but replacements, temporary placeholders for his true friends while he was studying there. Distorted mirror versions of the people he held close in his heart. He kept them divided in his head, and never did he imagine that one day, their paths would cross.

Expressing his discomfort with their destination wasn't an option. This wasn't _their_ vacation after all. The girls were on a road trip of their own, and the only way to keep tabs on them was to go along with what they wanted. Besides, his friends would be suspicious as to why Sasuke didn't want them to meet his friends in Oto, and to be honest, Sasuke wasn't entirely sure why he wanted to prevent such a confrontation himself.

He polished off the last of his coffee and sighed.

"Hey, teme, you got a friend's house we can stay at in Oto?" Naruto asked excitedly. "That'd sure save us some money, yeah?"

"Ooh, that's a good idea, Narutard!" Ino chimed in. "How 'bout it, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn. No one who'd take in seven of us."

"You can at least try!" Ino snapped.

"Yeah, what's the harm in asking, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked with a sweet smile, and Sasuke cursed her naivete straight to hell before begrudgingly withdrawing his cell phone and dialing a number he never thought he'd have to dial again.

"Oi, Uchiha!" a loud voice answered on the other line, sounding surprised. "Will wonders never cease! How the hell are ya?"

"Hn," Sasuke returned. "Suigetsu. Do you have room at your place."

"Huh? Movin out already? Geez, man, you were so stoked to get back to Konoha, why ya leavin already?"

"Tch. I'm not moving. My friends and I are on a road trip. Do you have room for us."

"Depends." Suigetsu's voice took on an unmistakably salacious tone, and Sasuke was reminded of why he'd not been heartbroken losing contact with his lecherous friend. "Any girls with ya? That cute one with the pink hair, the one whose picture you had in the pocket of your-"

"Three girls," Sasuke bit out. He glanced at Sakura, but was relieved to see she hadn't heard Suigetsu, as her attention was preoccupied with dividing the breakfast bill out seven ways. "Me and three guys."

"Whew. Well yeah man, sure you can stay here. My parents are on vacation out in Kusa for the next two weeks so I've got the place to myself pretty much. Juugo and Karin come and go. Karin's gonna be nauseating when she finds out you're coming back!"

"I'm not coming back," Sasuke said sharply. "I'm visiting."

"Same thing, to that nutass bitch," Suigetsu sighed. "She's been all right lately. But whenever you're brought up? Turns right back into a screechy, delusional harpy that you're her one true love. She'll see this as proof you finally see her as the broad for you."

"Tch," he scoffed. "We'll be there later tonight."

"You're _welcome,_" Suigetsu said pointedly, but Sasuke merely ignored him and hung up. Looking around at his expectant friends, he mumbled, "We can stay at Suigetsu's."

"All right!" Naruto cheered. The prospect of mooching off one of Sasuke's sucker friends while saving himself some cash was clearly exhilarating. "Now can finally see what losers you hung out with when you were being a big fat Konoha-betraying dickbag cockhead."

"Watch your fucking language, you fucking asshole," Sakura snapped as she stood up and grabbed her purse. "Well, we might as well get going. It's a three-hour drive to Oto and if we hurry, we can get to the Symphony Sounds amusement park by early afternoon. I haven't been on a roller coaster since _Disney World._ Fuck this road trip y'all, we should go to Disney next time."

"Amen to that," Kiba called. "Disney's fucking awesome."

"You're both children," Sasuke sneered.

"You're just saying that because you've never _been_ to Disney World," Sakura sniffed. She shook her hips in an indignant, aloof little strut that distracted Sasuke completely. "We'll go over winter break this year. No arguments, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke groaned to himself as they left the diner for their respective cars. He and Sakura weren't even officially _dating_ yet, and he already found himself wrapped around her little finger.

Strangely though, he mused to himself, glancing at his more-than-a-friend as she hopped into the Jeep, he didn't seem to mind the idea as much as he should have. He turned the key in the ignition and the loud Volkswagen engine groaned to life, and as he turned onto the highway, an obnoxious purple Jeep following close behind, he tried to ignore the feeling of intense foreboding that thrummed through his stomach.

This, he knew, was a bad idea. Bad with a capital B.

xoxoxo

"Aren't you w-worried, Sakura?" Hinata asked from the backseat.

"Worried?" Sakura echoed, turning to her friend with confusion on her face. "About what? Being pregnant? No! We used a condom _and_ I'm on birth control, I'd never be that stupid, not even for Sasuke-kun-"

"Not about that!" Hinata blushed at the flippant mention of Sakura's tryst the night before. "About going to Oto! Aren't you w-worried you might s-see one of his ex-girlfriends?"

Sakura considered that, and shook her head. "No," she said. "It wouldn't be fair to hold anything Sasuke did here against him. He's not the only boy I've ever been with either and I don't think he holds that against me. Besides, I don't think he even _has_ an ex-girlfriend. If he did, he never mentioned it."

"Who cares what or who he did before now anyways," Ino shrugged. "He's with Sakura now, that's all that matters."

"Not r-really though," Hinata said with a frown. "He didn't t-tell her h-how he felt about her. And they're n-n-not together, not officially a-a-anyway."

"He followed her all this way and then he banged her and he's sticking around afterwards. As far as I'm concerned, they're together. Right, Forehead?"

Sakura looked confused now, and Hinata wished she hadn't opened her mouth. The last thing she wanted to do was give her friend any anxiety about her status with Sasuke, but now it was all out there.

Hinata could relate. Despite Naruto flirting with her, teasing her, everything that had happened between them over the last two weeks, she still had absolutely no idea where she stood as far as he was concerned. Nervously she played with the ends of her short, feathery hair and stared out the window at the mountains passing by. Two weeks in, and she was no closer to telling Naruto how she felt about him than she'd been before.

Could she really blame Sasuke for failing to do the same thing?

xoxoxo

Suigetsu hung up and grinned. So, the asshole was coming to visit, huh?

"OI!" he shouted, and joined Juugo and Karin in his living room, where the two were locked in a fierce videogame battle. Neither one paid him any mind, both of them entirely focused on what was going on onscreen. "Oi, you assholes, guess what."

"Shut up, Suigetsu," snapped Karin, her thumbs moving furiously fast, red eyes locked on the game through thick black glasses. "I'll filet you if you interrupt me."

"Then you're not gonna hear my news," sang Suigetsu.

"What news?" Juugo inquired, still not looking away from the screen.

"Not sayin a word till you drop the controller."

"God, who the hell cares what you have to say anyway?" hissed Karin. "If you make me lose this to tell me about some inflamed pimple on your ass like last time, I'm gonna-"

"Shut up you ugly old ginger," Suigetsu snapped. "I'm tryin to tell you that your precious _Sasuke-kun's_ coming for a visit tonight."

Karin dropped her controller with a shriek and whirled around to face him, uneven red hair flying about her face as she charged him and grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"You're serious?" she screeched. "_Sasuke-kun's coming here?_"

"Yup," he smirked. "Just got off the phone with him."

"_I have to go get ready!_"

Karin made to sprint to the door, but Suigetsu stopped her with a roll of his eyes. "I wouldn't count on it, Red. He's not coming by himself. He's bringing some friends with him from Konoha."

"Friends?" Juugo asked. "Like who?"

"That Uzumaki kid, the one who hit the winning homer against us last season, remember? And then some of his guy friends, _plus_ that hot girl with the pink hair he was so hung up on."

"Who?" Karin demanded. "What girl? Pink hair? Is she his girlfriend? Did she seduce him somehow? I'll wring her skinny little neck if she assaulted my Sasuke-kun!"

"_Your_ Sasuke-kun?" Suigetsu couldn't resist a bark of laughter, thoroughly enjoying the way her scarlet eyes narrowed in dislike. "Bitch, open your albino rat eyes. He didn't want you, remember?"

"He...he was just nervous!" Karin shot back, flustered and angry at the reminder of Sasuke's rejection years ago. "He totally would have come around, but he moved back before he could admit how much he loved me!"

"Let it _go,_ cow. You and I both know that chick from Konoha had dibs on him even before he got here. He shot you down like a fighter pilot along with all the other dumbass girls here who tried to ladybone him, and then he bailed. Bet you anything he's nailing her now."

"We'll see about that!" Karin shrieked. Her voice lilted to astonishing altitudes in her anger and determination. "We'll see about that INDEED!"

With that, she stalked out of Suigetsu's house, off to primp herself in preparation for Sasuke's "homecoming."

Suigetsu chuckled to himself, all the while ignoring the jealousy that coursed through him at Karin's excitement, all over _Sasuke._ She'd thrown herself at him the whole time he'd attended Oto, given him her exclusive attention, and she was too blind to see that Sasuke would never be interested in her because he was already invested in someone else, a special girl back in Konoha.

All the while, Suigetsu was there for her loud, aggravating ass, and all he ever got was the rotten end of her temper and a few good slugs to the face.

He decided he was looking forward to meeting Sasuke's girl, and all his other friends for that matter. If anything, seeing the pink-haired chick in the flesh could be the wake-up call Karin so desperately needed. Maybe she'd finally give up on the asshole and give another guy a chance.

And he wasn't saying it should be him.

But he wasn't saying it shouldn't be, either.

xoxoxo

**note..** I realize Karin's a fairly generic villain. But I happen to like her as a character, so if you're expecting this grandiose Sakura-Karin catfight over Sasuke, think again, I've got something else planned. If you caught the subtle Suigetsu/Karin dynamic, that's because I love them together. They remind me of me and my fiancee. Always fucking fighting but with that undercurrent of _IlikeyouIlikeyouIlikeyoualot._ Hope you're ready for drama out the ass coming up!

Going to the Phillies game tonight to watch Cliff Lee annihilate the Mets. If you see a hot drunk blonde mess yelling and cheering and making out with her hotass future husband, come say hi! Name's Daisy. I like drinking and the Phillies and I really like all of _you!_ See you soon!


	52. Hinata Rides Again

The ride to Oto didn't last nearly as long as Sasuke would have liked it to.

He didn't know why, exactly, he was so apprehensive about the now-inevitable confrontation. It wasn't like he had anything to hide from anyone there. But the idea of Karin, who'd nursed a burning, infuriating, unrequited infatuation with him since they'd met, meeting Sakura? That made him more than a little anxious.

He sighed as he turned down the familiar streets towards the Symphony Sounds theme park, an amusement park stuffed to bursting with roller coasters and thrill rides, and Otogakure's cash cow. Naruto and Kiba were buzzing with excitement about getting to go on the tallest, fastest rides, and even Shikamaru seemed roused from his default setting of 'bored and aloof', and was gazing about the park in mild interest.

He parked and Ino pulled in beside him, the girls spilling out of their Jeep and chattering animatedly with eagerness.

"I didn't know they had a waterpark!" Sakura exclaimed gleefully.

"Hn. They added it on last year." Sasuke fought back the blush that threatened to stain his cheeks when Sakura tugged out a silver bikini from her backpack.

"Here, why don't we give you guys our money and you can get our tickets, and we'll go change into our bathing suits?" Without leaving any room for argument, she shoved her cash at Sasuke.

"That's a good idea," Ino agreed. "Come on, Hinata. Boys, just give us a few moments to make ourselves even more sensually appealing than we already are, and we'll meet you inside!"

With that they scampered off to the changing rooms, leaving Sasuke and the others to purchase seven tickets at the front gates.

"Oh man I literally can't wait," Naruto moaned.

"The rides aren't that great," Sasuke muttered, shoving his hands in the pockets of his shorts.

"Not for that, asshole. I mean to see the girls in their _bathing suits!_"

"Tch. You saw them before."

"Only for a few seconds, before they sent our asses to jail!" Naruto sighed wistfully. "Who knew Hinata-chan had a balcony like _that?_"

"Better not let her cousin hear you talking like that!" Kiba quipped.

"It's a compliment, dogfart!"

Sasuke groaned and battled an oncoming headache, but he did have to admit, in the deepest, darkest, horniest corner of his heart, that he was looking forward to seeing that silver bikini in action himself. Sleeping with Sakura was the best and worst thing he'd ever done. He'd scratched a years-long itch, but now, she was all he could think about.

"Ready, boys?"

They turned around and found Ino and Hinata, wearing their bathing suits underneath tank tops and shorts, but Sasuke's eyes locked on Sakura. She sported a pair of _microscopic_ cotton shorts, and had foregone a shirt in favor of her silver metallic bikini top. A blinding smile was on her face as she grabbed Sasuke's hand and sent a jolt of electricity coursing through his body.

He smirked in spite of himself and replied, "Aa."

xoxoxo

If there was one thing Hinata hated, it was heights.

Hearing Sakura and Ino chatting up the boys about which roller coaster they would ride first gave her such a strong fit of anxiety that it was a wonder she didn't pass out.

The group of seven made their way (upsettingly quickly) towards a towering roller coaster called 'Demonoid.' It was red, roughly eight million feet high if her estimation was correct, and went about four hundred thousand miles per hour. She felt her heart rate accelerate as they all got in line to ride, and blurted out, "Why don't I j-just hold everyone's b-b-bags?"

Ino rolled her eyes.

"Oh come ON," she sighed. "Hinata you're afraid of roller coasters aren't you."

"What?" Naruto barked, startling the other patrons waiting in line and earning more than a few dirty looks. "What do you mean you're afraid of roller coasters?"

Hinata turned scarlet and looked at Sakura helplessly. But Sakura, typically her ally in Naruto-related matters, had a devious expression on her face before she grinned widely and clapped Naruto hard on the back.

"She sure is!" she said brightly. "She'll probably need somebody brave and strong to ride with her, yeah?"

"OH YEAH DATTEBAYO! I'LL DO IT!"

"Keep your voice down, you dobe."

"_YOU WANNA START SOMETHING, TEME?_"

While Sasuke and Naruto degenerated into another pointless, childish argument, Hinata had to forcibly repel the urge to collapse. She would be riding. In a two-man roller coaster seat. With _Naruto._

She loved Sakura as much as she despised her.

"Stop arguing, you two!" Sakura snapped at the boys with her hands on her hips.

"You stay out of this," Sasuke hissed back cattily. "And put some clothes on."

"_Excuse me?_"

"You heard me."

"Ohhhh Uchiha Sasuke you know not to whom you speak! It's a bikini top! Are you that much of a pussybitchpansy that a little exposed skin offends you?"

Sasuke switched tact completely and began arguing (loudly, viciously) with Sakura instead of Naruto. Hinata was surprised; even after hooking up, Sasuke and Sakura's dynamic was the same. Argumentative and confrontational. But, like before, there was no mistaking the fondness in their eyes, the undercurrent of affection that guided their every word.

Hinata wished for something selfish then. She looked right at Naruto and wished, with every fiber of her being, that maybe, just once in both of their lives, he would look at her the way Sasuke looked at Sakura.

But Hinata cursed herself for her depressing train of thought when she found herself at the front of the line, the roller coaster attendant waving her impatiently onboard.

_I spent all that time brooding about Naruto when I really should have been figuring out a way to get out of line!_ she thought, terrified, as Naruto jovially clapped her on the back and sat down beside her.

"Make sure you buckle up, Hinata-chan!" he said cheerfully. "If your safety harness isn't fastened right, then odds are you'll fall out of the seat and smash into the pavement and be killed instantly."

Hinata's eyes widened as she stared over at him. "Wh-What? Seriously?"

"Hahaha nope, I'm just kidding. The fall probably wouldn't kill you right away. Most likely it'd just snap your spine and you'd be a parallelegram."

"Paraplegic, you dobe," corrected Sasuke nastily from the seat behind him, as Hinata began to hyperventilate. She desperately negotiated the harness until it clicked into place, and a few ruthless tugs didn't sway it, but she wasn't convinced. Suddenly her giddiness and anxiety at being in such close proximity to Naruto took a backseat to her unadulterated terror of this heinous-looking roller coaster.

_This is suicide!_ she thought. _I'm going to die before going to college, before becoming a woman in the biblical sense, before I even kissed a boy! Oh my God I'm a dishonor to the Hyuuga family!_

The attendants went by and checked everyone's harnesses before signaling to the ride operator. "Enjoy your ride!" called out a girl with short, spiky hair and a number of facial piercings as the roller coaster hummed to life and began its ascent.

Hinata began to panic.

"OhmyGodohmyGodohmyohmyohmyGod."

"Whatcha worried for, Hinata-chan?" laughed Naruto from beside her. To Hinata's _shock,_ he reached out and grabbed her hand, his large tan fingers wrapped entirely around hers. She faced him timidly, but he looked as boisterously carefree as ever, exhilarated as they ascended the first hill. "This is gonna be great! Just squeeze my hand if you get scared. And if you puke, make sure you puke backwards and that it hits Teme in his ugly mug."

"Oh-oh-oh..."

They neared the top of the hill, and perhaps it was the emotional turmoil of the amount, perhaps reaching the pinnacle of the roller coaster paralleled reaching the pinnacle of her romantic/platonic situation with Naruto, or perhaps the sudden altitude was just wreaking havoc on her braincells. But whatever the reason, just as the cart shifted tracks and prepared to speed downhill at roughly a skadillion miles per hour, Hinata blurted out, "NARUTO IF I DIE ON THIS I CAN'T DIE WITHOUT TELLING YOU THE TRUTH AND THE TRUTH IS THAT I LOVE YOU AND I LOVED YOU YEARS AGO AND I'LL LOVE YOU TOMORROW AND I'M SO SO SORRY I DIDN'T TELL YOU BEFORE THIS BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER AND I NEED A NEW PAIR OF SHORTS BECAUSE I MIGHT HAVE JUST PISSED MYSELF AND OHMYOHGOD NARUTO I LOVE YOUUUUU!"

_Well,_ she thought, closing her eyes half in fear, half in mortification as the cart began its speedy descent into a loop, _fuck me. Way to go, Hinata. The first words you don't stammer to him..._

_You are the dumbest, dumbest girl on the planet._

_Move over, Ino._

xoxoxo

Karin sat before her reflection in the mirror, admiring her face from all angles.

_Maybe I'll get a chance to pick up where we left off!_ she thought gleefully, smearing a thin coat of lipstick as red as her hair over her lips. _And technically we never actually did anything. And yeah, if I'm being totally honest, he never really seemed that into it and yes, perhaps he was hung up on that girl Suigetsu was talking about._

_But all that's in the past! Sasuke-kun's back, and I refuse to believe he didn't come back for me!_

She squeezed herself into a slinky black tube dress that came to mid-thigh, and slipped on a pair of shiny red peep-toe pumps. Her edgy haircut, choppy and uneven on one side, and long and kempt on the other, was styled to utter perfection, and her red eyes smoldered against silvery eyeshadow and layers of black, black mascara.

It was a short walk to Suigetsu's; his parents were away on business (a frequent occurrence in the Hozuki household), which meant that Suigetsu had free reign. She and Juugo, his best friends, spent the majority of their freetime there, enjoying his extensive videogame collection mostly. She recalled when Sasuke used to be among them, sitting quietly in the red armchair she'd since proclaimed as her own, doing his homework.

Her heart throbbed at the possibility of getting him back. It was already midafternoon; he and his stupid Konoha friends should be arriving later on that evening.

This time, she would give him one hell of a reason to stay in Oto.

xoxoxo

**note..** Why hello there. Thanks for reading, let me know what you think! Love you all. xoxo Daisyyyy


	53. Don't Cry Out Loud

Hinata didn't remember blacking out, but she must have.

Because the next thing she knew, she was lying on an unfamiliar couch, staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling, with an all-too-familiar headache that indicated she had succumbed to a fainting spell.

"You okay, Hinata-chan?"

She looked up, expecting to see an amused Ino and a worried Sakura, but to her complete and utter shock, she found concerned blue eyes staring back at her from a tanned, decidedly masculine face.

"N-N-Naruto-kun!" she exclaimed. She sat up quickly and instantly regretted it as the blood rushed to her head and made the room spin. "Oh...ow..."

"Take it easy, Hinata-chan!" Naruto said with a good-natured smile. He clapped her once on the back and her face burned. "You scared us, you know! As soon as you stepped off that roller coaster, you passed out! We had to bring you back here, to Teme's friend's house."

Now she felt even worse. They'd only gotten to go on one ride because of her! Not only was she the lamest person in existence for her botched love confession to Naruto, but she was also a lame friend who'd gotten her friends to waste their money and a whole day that could have been spent at a theme park.

Ugh.

"You slept for a really long time!" Naruto continued. His whiskered cheeks were drawn in a wide grin. "I'm really glad you're okay now! The others started partying an hour ago, they're plastered. We've got a lot of catching up to do if I'm gonna show Teme I can drink him under the table any day, 'ttebayo!"

He was being nice to her. Overtly nice. Hinata knew what that meant. Her heart sank, and she bowed her head so her choppy bangs hid her eyes.

"About...what I s-said on the...I mean...just f-f-forget about it, okay, N-Naruto-kun?"

She couldn't bear to look at his face, to see his blue eyes full of pity, to let him see her seconds from breaking down completely. "I was s-scared, and it...didn't mean anything. Okay?"

"Didn't mean anything? Oh. _Oh._ Okay. That's...all right, sure, Hinata-chan, let's just forget about it."

She looked up and was surprised to see something strained in the too-wide smile he wore. Had he been _disappointed_ that she retracted her confession?

Hinata banished the thought to the back of her mind. There was no way Naruto was interested in her, and to even entertain the notion that he was, was beyond stupid. Better that she get her heart broken now, good and early, before allowing herself to fall for him any further, and having it hurt that much worse further down the road.

He was her friend. He was a good, dependable, reliable friend and if all he was willing to give her was friendship, then she would take it greedily and give him the same right back. She would rather have him in her life in a platonic capacity than not at all.

"You've gotta meet Teme's friends, Hinata-chan!" he exclaimed. "You feeling all right now?"

"Y-Yes. Much b-b-better."

"Good." With that, he grabbed her hand and tugged her effortlessly to her feet before guiding her into a room attached to the den she'd been sleeping in.

And Hinata tried not to focus on how impossibly warm his hand was wrapped around hers.

xoxoxo

Suigetsu had to hand it to Sasuke.

He sure knew how to pick 'em.

The girl Sasuke was with, her name was Sakura. Pretty name, and it suited her fine. At first glance, she wasn't the type of girl he'd immediately think was Sasuke's type, but the more he spoke to Sakura and the more he learned about her, the more he realized that she was absolutely perfect for the asshole.

He hadn't been expecting them quite so soon, but around two o'clock, a knock came at the door and he found his old friend standing in the threshold looking marginally annoyed. He indicated one of the girls who was traveling with him, a cute little black-haired thing, lying unconscious in his friend Naruto's arms. His explanation was curt ("She faints. We left") and Suigetsu let them all inside hours ahead of schedule.

The unconscious girl, who was introduced as Hinata, was placed in the den and the others gathered in the living room, sprawled comfortably over couches and chairs as if they'd known Suigetsu for years. Suigetsu was curious. What were the people like that Sasuke hung out with?

Well, the girls were fucking _hot._ The blonde had introduced herself as Ino, and she looked like the typical Barbie cheerleader with bright blue eyes, long blonde hair, and a tall, killer figure. Perfect ten. And the pink-haired girl beside her smiled in a friendly way and introduced herself as Sakura.

Suigetsu honed in on this girl, the only girl that had ever been able to snare Uchiha Sasuke's affections. He barely listened as Naruto, Kiba, and Shikamaru introduced themselves to he and Juugo, instead eyeing her up like a particularly scrumptious piece of meat.

She was small, slender, and sweet-looking. Curtains of pink hair (that looked natural), shiny green eyes and a smile best suited for a toothpaste commercial. Crazy hot. She sat close to Sasuke but not obnoxiously so, and even though they weren't touching, Sasuke, typically disconnected and aloof and above everything, practically radiated a protective, possessive aura that Suigetsu almost feared. There was no question that this girl was spoken for, whether they'd made it official or not.

"Thank you so much for letting us stay here, Suigetsu-san!" Sakura said with a wide smile. "We've been _hemorrhaging_ money on hotels lately, we really appreciate it!"

"No problem, dollface," Suigetsu returned with a toothy grin, keeping an eye on Sasuke. He gave no visible reaction to Suigetsu's flirtatious nature besides a quirk of his eyebrows to show his displeasure. "So how's the vacation going? Uchiha told me a little about it."

"Oh basically we're on a road trip, me and Hinata and Forehead," said Ino, indicating Sakura who shot her a dirty look at the derogatory nickname. "But these assholes," and she pointed to the boys, who shot her four dirty looks, "decided they couldn't take care of themselves back in Konoha and needed to suckle our party teat and so they've been _stalking us _for the last two weeks practically."

Suigetsu let out a bark of laughter and from the floor, Juugo chuckled.

"We have not been _stalking_ you," Kiba grunted. "We've been...escorting you."

Everyone laughed at that. Even Sasuke cracked an amused smirk, which Suigetsu knew was nearly impossibly hard to make happen. These were the people around whom Sasuke was most comfortable, most at ease. And it looked like a motley crew indeed, judging by that baboonish blonde who kept yelling, the bored-looking guy and the brown-haired guy with face tattoos, and the three hot chicks.

They all continued to talk for a few more hours, getting to know each other little by little, before it became obvious that Hinata was going to be out for awhile, and they were pretty much stuck in at Suigetsu's. It was Sakura who had the brilliant idea to grab some liquor and have a house party.

Suigetsu decided he liked her a whole awful lot, and when she wasn't looking, he shot Sasuke a conspiratorial smirk that said, _I approve._ Sasuke scoffed and turned away, but the message was received.

"I don't know," Suigetsu said playfully. "You Konoha girls think you can handle an _Oto_ party?"

"Please!" Ino scoffed with an indignant flip of her ponytail. "Your party can't handle Konoha girls! We get _down_. We don't even bother taking names."

And thus the idea to invite pretty much the entire Oto senior class was born.

Suigetsu grinned. He didn't know about Juugo or Karin for that matter, but he definitely approved of the Konoha crew.

xoxoxo

Sakura smiled brightly, winningly at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. It had been awhile since her last real house party, and she was looking forward to it. Besides that, Sasuke was there with her, and Hinata had even confessed her love to Naruto! Things were definitely looking up, and this time, when she got shit-faced drunk tonight, it would be because of sheer, unadulterated happiness, rather than a desire to forget everything and everyone around her.

The boys had gone to get liquor from a nearby store, Suigetsu and Juugo were calling up all of their Oto friends to come over, Naruto was sitting vigil beside a sleeping Hinata, and Ino was primping herself in Suigetsu's parents' bathroom. Sakura straightened the last of her bangs to perfection, her pink hair one long, shiny sheet that tumbled down her back, and reached for her mascara in time to hear Sasuke clear his throat from behind her.

"Hey, there," she said with a coy little smile. He looked particularly handsome in a white button-up, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a pair of dark jeans with his omnipresent gray Chucks. His arms were folded across his chest, and he didn't look happy.

"What are you wearing," he asked in displeasure, never really phrasing it as a question. His black eyes raked shamelessly across her body, the microscopic white shorts with a dark blue sweater that revealed the slope of her left shoulder, and a pair of hot pink kitten heels that made her legs appear longer.

Sakura rolled her eyes at the familiar argument.

"A sweater and shorts, Sasuke-kun," she replied dully. She returned her attention to touching up her eye makeup in the well-lit mirror.

"Go change."

"I am not changing, Sasuke-kun. If you only came up here to argue with me, you should have at least had the courtesy to bring me a drink so I can get drunk and deal with your bullshit that way."

Sasuke scoffed. "You don't know what the guys from Oto are like."

"Oh come on! Suigetsu and Juugo seem really, really nice!"

"Tch. You think they're all like that? You remember _Zaku,_ don't you?"

Sakura flinched at the memory from six years ago. She'd been walking home from a Konoha-Oto soccer game, when she'd been accosted by the Oto Junior High School soccer captain. He'd stolen all her money and even knocked her around a few times; Sasuke and Naruto intervened before it escalated, but the memory still frightened her.

"Well...you'll be here, right?" she said. She set down her mascara and faced him with a smile, the tips of her fingers trailing down his chest. "Not like anything's gonna happen to me while _you're_ there, right, Sasuke-kun?"

xoxoxo

Sasuke stared at her and tried his hardest not to touch her.

She looked so damn beautiful, as desirable and approachable as ever, and while the outfit she was wearing couldn't be labeled as inappropriate, it showed off more leg than he was comfortable allowing any guy from Oto see. She didn't understand her own appeal, the effect she had on men. Even now, dressed in blue and white, his favorite colors, with that sweet smile and the innocent way she trailed her fingers across his collar bone and down his stomach, she was turning him on.

The idea of Sakura spending even a minute in a crowded room full of some of the assholes he'd known at Oto High School made him sick.

But it was hard not to be flattered at her complete faith in him. Even though he voiced his concerns, she countered with the airtight argument of "But you'll be with me, Sasuke-kun." She trusted him implicitly to look out for her as he'd always done, and suppressing the urge to stroke his ego became impossible.

He sighed in resignation. He'd have to stick to her like glue the whole damn night.

Somehow, the idea didn't sound distasteful in the slightest.

"Besides," Sakura continued, her voice low and her eyes flashing prettily against the dark makeup she'd painted on, "maybe a little later, we can sneak off somewhere, just you and me, yeah?"

Sasuke's heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened at the ill-concealed suggestion behind her words. This girl would be the death of him, he knew, and he found himself receptive to the thought of death if it meant getting a repeat performance of the night before. Remembering her delighted moans, the way she sighed his name, how good her long legs felt wrapped around his waist...

He took a step towards her, pressing her against the sink she'd been applying makeup over, his hands at her waist. She looked surprised by his advance but not remotely displeased by it, and he leaned in close to her ear.

"Stay with me tonight," he murmured. Flush against her, he felt her heartbeat race and was glad to see that he was not alone in his arousal. "Don't go off on your own."

"Um...oh...okay, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke kissed her neck and enjoyed the way she gasped in surprise at the unexpected sensation. Her skin was soft and smooth, and she smelled like violets. Her hands latched onto his biceps as she released a pleasured sigh, her breath fanning against his throat. He was suddenly impatient for the party to be over, for the chance to sneak off with this sexy little hellcat and-

"SASUKE-KUUUUUUN!"

Both of them froze. The sound from downstairs was hellacious, the pitch reaching a lilting altitude thereby unrecorded by modern man. Sakura looked confused, and Sasuke groaned in realization.

Karin had arrived.

xoxoxo

**note..** Ayo, everybody! Phillies play San Francisco tonight and it should be a good game, so I wanted to get this out before I glue myself to the TV with my fiancee and pine for Roy Halladay's body. Thanks for all the feedback as always. See you soon! xoxo Daisy


	54. An Unforeseen Outcome

Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit and five more shits.

Karin was there.

Sasuke could just picture how this was going to go down. Karin would take one look at Sakura, become instantly territorial, a massive catfight would ensue and both girls would wind up in jail. He honestly didn't know who would win if it came to blows. Sakura was scrappy (he could personally attest to that) but Karin was a madwoman. She behaved as if she owned Sasuke, and reacted to his being around other women with violence; she took her job of possessing him very seriously, and if it came down to it, he knew she would fight with the strength of a mother lifting a car off of her child.

It didn't matter that he had never done anything with Karin, never even considered it. In her mind, they belonged together and no amount of cruelly-voiced rejection would get through to her.

He and Sakura pulled away from each other in time for Karin to stalk up the stairs and throw open the bathroom door. She was wearing a tight-fitting black dress and red heels, her hair was the same as he remembered it, and her makeup was heavily, artfully applied. She beamed at him through black glasses, then saw Sakura, and her eyes narrowed.

"Hey!" she snapped. "What goes on here?"

Sakura blanched before her eyes narrowed. _Fuck, this is bad,_ thought Sasuke, as she pushed him to the side and neared Karin.

"I don't know who you are," Sakura said, squinting hard at Karin as she advanced on her. "But I just want to know one thing."

Sasuke inwardly groaned. He was going to have to spend the night at the police station bailing Sakura out of jail. All his hopes of a wild, exciting night with her flew out the window as he mentally calculated if he'd have enough money to post bail.

The girls glared at one another before Sakura asked her question.

"Did you get that dress at Forever 21?"

Sasuke smacked his forehead.

Karin, whom he had only ever known to be territorial and aggressive, changed tact _completely._ Her previous animosity towards the strange girl wrapped around her Sasuke-kun vanished in the wake of a talk about _fashion,_ of all things, and she replied brightly, "Oh, yeah, I got it offline, it isn't in stores yet. Do you like it? They had it in pink and blue, too, but I figured with my hair, you know, it would clash."

"Oh no, black was definitely a good choice!" Sakura replied. "It looks great on you, especially with those heels. I _love_ colorful heels with a neutral outfit!" She indicated her own pink heels and Karin gushed.

"They're _great,_ are they the ones from Charlotte Russe?"

"Yes! I got them marked down because there was a scuff on the side, but I painted over it with nail polish and you can't really tell so I'm awesome. I'm Sakura by the way, who are you?"

"My name's Karin! Nice to meet someone who knows their shit like I do!" The two girls shook hands and Sasuke stared at them with his mouth agape. He'd been prepared for a million outcomes following the inevitable confrontation between Sakura and Karin, and all of them ended in violence and hellfire and damnation. This was an outcome he did _not _expect: instant, feminine friendship.

"So you're one of Sasuke-kun's friends? From Oto High?" Sakura was smiling as she slid her hand through Sasuke's, and he glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. She was not overtly possessive, but the gesture conveyed subtly that they were together. He liked it way, way more than he thought he should, so he didn't shake her off and call her a name.

Karin eyed their linked hands, sighed once, and then giggled almost in resignation.

"Yeah, the four of us, me and Sasuke and Suigetsu and Juugo, we all hung out a lot," she replied. "We missed you when you transferred back to Konoha, Sasuke. Whatsamatter? Couldn't slum it here anymore?"

There was no flirtatiousness in her voice, no animosity whatsoever, nothing to suggest that she was upset by Sasuke's ambiguous relationship with Sakura. He was stunned. For years, she'd chased him down with all the devotion and tenacity of a seasoned psychopath. And now, she flat-out accepted that he didn't reciprocate her affections, with nothing more than resignation?

He should have brought Sakura around years ago.

"Tch," he scoffed. "Karin."

Karin giggled and turned back to Sakura. "Suigetsu's calling just about everyone in Oto, they're starting to come in now. Party's starting downstairs. But Sakura your hair, is it natural?"

"Unfortunately," sighed Sakura, running a hand through her pink tresses. "Worst luck, right?"

"No, it's great! My hair blows. It doesn't hold dye so it's just stuck this awful red."

"The color's gorgeous, are you kidding me? And the cut's so edgy, I never saw that before but _I want it._ I cut my hair off years ago and just recently grew it out since you can't do _anything_ with short hair but I would _kill_ to be able to rock that style."

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose to combat an oncoming headache. He had not been prepared for the unlikely scenario that Sakura and Karin would hit it off right away. And now, forced to listen to what looked to be an hours-long conversation on _hair,_ he almost wished they would have gone for the catfight.

xoxoxo

Ino had to hand it to Oto. They knew how to party.

In no time at all, Suigetsu's enormous house was flooded with teenagers from Konoha's rival school, most of them toting bottles of their own, along with a number of other illicit substances. Suigetsu's house boasted a killer sound system and one of the kids set up a DJ station and was blaring music from the living room. Everyone was dancing, grinding, flirting, drinking, making out, arguing. In short, an ideal house party. Even if Oto's reputation was somewhat unsavory, and she could sort of see why.

She was playing a game of beer pong against a girl with hot pink hair and a foul mouth, surrounded by people. If there was one sport at which Ino would completely dominate, it was beer pong. Even completely out of her mind inebriated, like she was now, she could put the little ball in the red Solo cup every single time.

Kiba was standing beside her, an arm looped lazily around her waist and a handle of vodka in his hand. Whenever she sunk a ball against her potty-mouth opponent, he would murmur something absolutely sinful in her ear that made her giggle and blush. He was doing everything right, and Ino did not regret her decision to move on from Shikamaru (who was no doubt sleeping upstairs) and give him a chance. He was most _definitely_ getting laid tonight.

Ino wondered vaguely how Hinata was faring with Naruto, after her ballsy love confession at the top of the roller coaster. But she was so drunk and Kiba's arm felt so good and she was having such fun that she decided to let Hinata work this one out for herself for once. She returned her focus to the game and to Kiba and to living it up the best way she knew how.

xoxoxo

Naruto was worried.

Hinata was drinking. _Heavily._

Whenever they drank with their friends, Hinata would partake of a limited amount of alcohol, considerably less than what everyone else consumed, and she stopped before getting out of control.

But here she sat slouched on the floor, gulping down as much of the foul-tasting Jungle Juice as she could. It sloshed out of her mouth but she merely giggled in a frighteningly hysterical way and raised her cup for more.

Naruto wished it wasn't so damn loud and so damn dark and so damn crowded. Usually this was the kind of party that he would fall in love with, but now that he had to worry about Hinata-chan, who was normally so sensible, he loathed the whole damn thing. She was on a sloppy path to self-destruction, and part of him told him it was because of her unexpected love confession at the top of the roller coaster.

She'd taken it back, and it had deeply hurt Naruto. He was crushing on her hard, after all, and to hear that she liked him back made him happier than he could remember being in a long time. But then she'd rescinded it.

That hurt.

But it didn't explain why she was flying off the handle here.

"I think you should slow down, Hinata-chan!" he said loudly, over the din of the music and the pounding of the bass.

"No way!" she cried gleefully. "Not a chance!"

"Hinata I'm serious." Naruto frowned and grabbed the cup out of her fumbling hands. "This isn't like you. What's going on?"

"Who cares?" she snapped, and he recoiled. Hinata _never_ snapped, especially not at him. "Sakura drinks. Ino drinks. And they both have better luck with guys than I do so maybe I should drink, too."

She was slurring her words, but not stammering them. Naruto was taken aback at her attitude, and aggravated at her complaints. Who was she to complain? Who was fucking Hyuuga Hinata to complain about having no luck with the opposite sex, when just that very day, she'd told him she loved him and then _took it back?_

Abruptly, he saw red. She had absolutely no right to bitch about anything, not when she went out of her way to get his hopes up and then tear him down. He grabbed her by the arm and hauled her to her feet before half-leading, half-dragging her up the stairs.

"What are you doing?" Hinata demanded, stumbling along behind him. She had the spins, he could tell, and she was apparently a very angry, very violent drunk, compared to happy slutty drunk Ino and dramatic hilarious drunk Sakura. "Naruto _stop._ Let me go!"

"You're sloppy right now, Hinata!" he snapped. She flinched at his volume and he regretted speaking so sharply to her, but she was out of control. "Come on, don't fight me on this."

She showed every intention of wanting to rebel against him, and when they reached the top of the staircase, he finally lost his temper and flipped her over his shoulder. She was heavier than she looked and he panted with the effort as she kicked and flailed and demanded to be released, but with the resolve of a ninja, he stalked into the bathroom, kicking out a guy hooking up with two girls with a few choice words, and tossed Hinata into the tub.

Fed up, Naruto gave the water tap a vicious twist, and Hinata squealed when freezing cold water poured from the showerhead, soaking her instantly.

What a stupid freaking party.

xoxoxo

Karin knew she was superficial.

That was what guided her one-sided attraction to Uchiha Sasuke so badly. He was gorgeous, and being the girl to snag him would boost her ego and her social status. The whole time, it had always been about her, this unreciprocated infatuation; no wonder Sasuke never even gave her the time of day. She hadn't been in love with him. She hadn't wanted to _fall_ in love with him in the first place.

It was a competition. Getting to be the best one of all the girls, the one to nail fineass Uchiha Sasuke and hold her head high.

Karin knew that, and that was why she couldn't even be mad when meeting Sasuke's girlfriend.

Granted, Sakura never called herself his girlfriend and Sasuke didn't introduce her as such, but the chemistry between the two was so undeniable that they didn't need the actual label. Karin had known Sasuke to repel any girl's advances, but they held hands, complete with affectionate thumb-rubbing. Everything in his posture, in his face and his eyes, practically screamed that they were together. And it didn't look superficial at all.

Karin was fully prepared to dislike the girl who had stolen Sasuke away, but they hit it off right from the start. She couldn't blame Sakura for having genuine feelings for Sasuke, when hers were rooted in superficiality. She made him happy, Karin could tell. So she wouldn't be the bitter bitch about it.

Besides, Sakura seemed as obsessed with fashion as she did, which automatically made her a wonderful person. Anyone who could rock pink hair and hot pink heels and not look like a douchebag was all right by her.

The longer they talked, the rowdier and louder the party below became. Suigetsu jogged up the stairs to see what was keeping them.

"Oi, Uchiha, go say hi to everyone!" he called, pressing a beer into his friend's hand. "Take your girl, too, everyone wants to meet you, too, dollface!"

Sakura giggled and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"All right, guess we should head down," Sakura replied. "Oi Karin let me holla at your phone numbaaaa. You are an incredible person and I would like to text you nonstop from now on."

Karin giggled. She didn't have many girlfriends, but she would make an exception for Sakura, who seemed to be her Konoha counterpart. They exchanged iPhone numbers and high-fives before she and Sasuke headed back downstairs to join the party.

That left Karin with Suigetsu. There was an enormous shit-eating grin on his face as they watched Sasuke and Sakura descend the staircase hand in hand.

"That's the girl from the picture!" he revealed, pointing to Sakura. "The one he kept in the pocket of his baseball uniform! I _told_ you, you dumb broad. I told you he was hung up on her!"

"Oh, get over yourself, you stupid manatee. I'm so over that anyway. Besides Sakura's way hotter than Sasuke-kun."

"Ooh, switching sides now?"

"Tch. It'd break your heart."

Suigetsu's violet eyes flashed before he wound an arm around her waist. "Come take a shot with me," he ordered. "And I'll stop saying 'I told you so.'"

Karin felt a flutter of butterflies in her stomach at the look he was giving her, and, unable to think up a clever retort, she merely nodded.

Soooo not the reunion with Uchiha Sasuke she expected, but...

Dayum Suigetsu was hot.

xoxoxo

**note..** Hey there! My Phillies won last night, so I'm updating in the middle of an organic chem lecture because I _can._ More drama to unfold next chapter, complete with naive Sakura and jealous Sasuke and angry Naruto and drunkdrunkdrunk Hinataaaa.

And yeah I made Karin friends with Sakura. Because Forever 21 unites us all, ladies.

Dedicated to Roy Halladay for being the best pitcher in the universe. And Shane Victorino. Because he is sexy. And Hunter Pence for that _awesome_ catch he made last night. DO IT AGAIN PHILS.

Love you guys. See you soon!


	55. Shit, Meet Fan

As the minutes ticked by into hours, and she made her rounds with Sasuke and Ino and the others, Sakura found herself disliking Oto more than she thought she would.

She couldn't say anything to Sasuke, of course. These were his friends after all, and she didn't want to be the bratty girl who whined at shit that she just wasn't jiving with. But the more she saw of the Oto kids, the less she liked them. And the more she missed Konoha parties.

Back in Konoha, she and Ino were pretty much infamous as two of the wildest, craziest party girls around. She was cool with a lot of things, like drinking and even smoking pot (when it wasn't dance season of course), but that was about as far as she went, and as far as any of the rowdiest kids back in Konoha went as well.

They didn't seem to have the same restrictions here. Sakura was borderline appalled to see a bunch of kids in one of the corners of Suigetsu's living room winding a shoelace around his upper arm while his friends held a spoon full of something over a lighter. Heroin. Fistfights had broken out over the smallest things, and the guys here didn't seem to have many compunctions about making sure the girls were out of the line of fire. In another part of the house, kids took turns with a razorblade and a few lines of cocaine. She was offered a line as well, but Sasuke, having none of it, merely swept her along past the group without a word. As self-righteously pushy as ever, but something in Sakura was glad to see that he didn't mix with that shit and that he didn't want her to as well.

But she couldn't help but wonder what Sasuke was really involved in, or what he'd been involved in while attending Oto. Sure not everyone was bad, and the friends he'd surrounded himself with - Karin, Suigetsu, and Juugo - seemed pretty cool, if not a little eccentric. Juugo, for example, had taken one Jello shot and was now passed out on the floor, and given his massive size, the doctor in Sakura was somewhat shocked at how much of a lightweight he actually was. Weird to be sure, but none of them raised any alarm bells.

Still, she knew next to nothing of Sasuke's time in Oto. He rarely spoke of it and never in great detail. Juugo, Suigetsu, and Karin spoke about him like he was their best friend, but she'd never even heard of them before meeting them today.

It made her wonder, in a selfish corner of her heart, if the same was true for she and Naruto and the others; if Sasuke was such great friends with Suigetsu, Juugo, and Karin but never told his Konoha friends about them, then it was logical to think that he wouldn't have told his Oto friends anything about Konoha.

Suddenly, the chasm between she and Sasuke seemed endless. After giving him her virginity and her implicit trust just the night before, she felt farther away from him than she ever had, and the thought was stifling, constricting around her heart, and for a panicked moment she thought she might cry.

He didn't seem to notice her sudden change in mood. Her dislike of the hard street drugs being passed around like candy, coupled with her disapproval of the senselessly violent temperaments of most of the kids here, already had her wanting to leave. But this made everything worse. Now the fact that Sasuke wouldn't tell her how he felt about her was suddenly prominent over just about everything else. It wasn't so easily ignored anymore.

Sasuke had told her he wasn't using her. She wanted so badly to believe that, but when she got down to it, just how much of Uchiha Sasuke did she really know? The Konoha part of him, like the back of her hand. But as for his years in Oto?

Was she ignorant in assuming that he was above cocaine and heroin and needless violence? Was she pretentious in thinking that even while he was away, he'd missed her and told his friends about her? Was her trust in him, her trust that what they were doing was more than just sex, completely misguided?

It was certainly an odd occurrence, she mused. Sasuke had his arm draped around her shoulders, she could feel his hard musculature pressed against her side, and everything about them said that they were together.

Everything but Sasuke himself.

She wondered why the thought made her want to drive away as fast as she could and never look back.

xoxoxo

Naruto swiped some dry clothes from Suigetsu's drawers and took the moment to calm himself.

Hinata was soaking wet, out of her mind drunk and completely pathetic right now. And he didn't have the stony heart of Sasuke to browbeat her into submission while she was in such a miserable state. He had no idea where all this shit was coming from in the first place.

He didn't know why he was so angry. Besides the fact that Hinata had raised his hopes and then shot them right back down, of course. That stung.

Maybe it was because Hinata didn't act like this. Hinata never got sloppy and out of line, never yelled at him, never drank until she was senseless. That behavior was reserved for Sakura and Ino, and even they were only mildly humorous at their worst. Hinata was a nightmare.

It was his responsibility to look out for her, though. Sasuke and Sakura were busy negotiating the crowds of Oto students, apparently both of them hot commodities, Sasuke for his return and Sakura for being the girl on his arm. Ino and Kiba were both drinking heavily and locked around one another in a gooey display of public affection that made his skin crawl, and Shikamaru was asleep, as per usual.

That fell on him to take care of her, even if he'd much rather be by himself at the moment. He didn't think much of these Oto kids, besides Suigetsu, who seemed cool as shit, and Juugo, who seemed nice as shit. He hadn't met anyone else yet though. Maybe he was just being stubborn and closeminded because he didn't want to think that Sasuke had people out there as important to him as Naruto and Sakura were.

Either way, he was secure in his position as Sasuke's best friend, even if the bastard never really voiced it aloud.

But that still left a sopping wet, wailing Hyuuga Hinata for him to clean up after.

Fighting back his roiling anger at a thousand different things, he stalked back into the bathroom and found her exactly as he left her. Sitting in the tub, choppy black hair dripping water, her clothing soaked completely through as she sobbed loud and pathetically into her hands.

Such a fucking mess.

"Here," he mumbled. "Change into these and I'll put you to bed."

"Naruto-kun," she replied softly, looking up at him through baleful light eyes that seemed to focus in on him despite her current inebriation, "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, Ino and Sakura-chan get pretty messed up too sometimes." He grinned a boyish grin that didn't feel authentic. He handed the clothes to her but she ignored them.

"No. I'm sorry for..." She sighed and started crying again. "I'm sorry I fell in love with you...and that I tried to say I didn't."

The dry clothes dropped to the floor.

_Oh._

xoxoxo

Maybe now that she could see it for herself, just how well Oto deserved its bad reputation, Sakura would understand why he didn't want her at that party in the first place.

Leaving Oto was the best decision he'd ever made.

Sasuke knew most schools garnered reputations that they didn't earn. For example, Konoha was known for being home to tons of hot, slutty girls. But Sasuke knew you could find hot, slutty girls just about everywhere. Suna was known for being home to rich, snotty kids but besides Gaara and his siblings, no more than any other school. Iwa was known for being home to hillbillies. That was probably true.

But Oto deserved its hardcore reputation and then some.

Suigetsu, Juugo, and Karin were some of the rare exceptions to the rule. That was probably why he'd chosen them as his friends. Everyone in Oto was fascinated by him; the Uchiha family was well-known even outside of Konoha after all, and if there was one thing Oto prized, it was power. But even with so many admirers, he'd only really bonded with three misfits that all reminded him of his friends back home.

He did not like being back here. Sure it was great seeing Suigetsu, Juugo, and Karin again, but this was the last place on the planet he wanted Sakura and the others to be. He was satisfied that she was with him, where he could keep an eye on her, but even so, she attracted a ridiculous amount of attention. His eyes narrowed as he saw a bunch of guys giving her the once-over. Oto guys weren't necessarily deterred by the presence of a boyfriend-type.

He glanced down at Sakura and saw that she appeared uncomfortable. Her smile was tight as she chatted up a couple of guys he'd played baseball with. She hadn't even had a lot to drink, which meant she was trying to keep her wits about her. Smart girl, but he didn't like seeing her so nervous.

Sakura was the most popular girl back in Konoha, but she was still so frustratingly naive. Just because people didn't shoot up and carry knives where she was from didn't mean the same was true everywhere.

Would she see now? Why he'd been so against her leaving Konoha in the first place without him? Why he'd followed her so closely?

"You wanna get out of here?" he asked quietly as they extricated themselves from the awkward conversation and found themselves at the front door.

Sakura looked up at him and he was surprised at the different emotions playing in her expressive eyes. She nodded once, curtly, and without needing any further explanation, he reached for the doorknob.

"Oi, Uchiha, long time no see!"

Sasuke stiffened and turned back around to see Abumi Zaku standing behind him, a drink in his hand, his pupils dilated in the aftereffects of a drug Sasuke couldn't identify. Beside him were his friends Dosu and Kin, two of the hardest partiers Sasuke had ever met.

His eyes narrowed.

"Leaving already without even saying hi?" Zaku chuckled. "How've you been, man?"

Sasuke didn't answer, but Zaku didn't seem to need him to. His bleary-eyed gaze locked in on Sakura, whose grip around his hand became extremely tight.

"Clearly you've been doing pretty well for yourself!" Zaku stuck out his hand towards Sakura. "You look kinda familiar, baby, do I know you?"

Sasuke fully expected Sakura to run away screaming, but once again she surprised him. She squared her shoulders, ignoring the hand he offered, and snapped, "Maybe. You jumped me in middle school and took my money. I probably look a little different nowadays without the black eye."

Zaku, Dosu, and Kin all burst out laughing.

"I remember that!" Kin exclaimed, like it was a particularly fond memory. "Geez. From the trip to Konoha? You ran out of money for weed."

"Had to get it somewhere," Zaku shared in the recollection. "Let's let bygones be bygones, huh, sweetheart?"

"Say another word to her and I'll drop you where you stand," Sasuke said darkly. He suddenly found himself more than capable of murder. This was his fault entirely; he should never have allowed Sakura and the girls to come to Oto, and now Sakura was forced into a confrontation with the guy who'd mugged her and beat her up in middle school.

"I don't know what you're getting so bent out of shape for man," Zaku chuckled. "You were there to save her back then and looks like you're still doing the same thing. I'm not starting anything. Just wanted to catch up with an old friend and meet his sexy little girlfriend."

"Sasuke-kun let's get out of here," Sakura said nervously. He wondered why she was so scared all of a sudden, having been thoroughly able to speak her mind to Zaku just seconds before. She tugged on his arm impatiently. "Come on, this is stupid."

He'd kicked Zaku's ass years ago for messing with Sakura. Luckily, he and Naruto had arrived to help her before it had gone too far back then, and he'd landed a few satisfying hits on the bastard before they were found by a teacher. But now that he stood in front of Sakura screwing with her head again, teasing her like what he'd put her through was just a big joke, flirting with her right in_ front_ of him, he realized that maybe he didn't hit him as hard as he thought.

His muscles flexed impatiently as the need to beat Zaku into a bloody smear on the floor became overwhelming.

Maybe he needed to impress upon him what happened to the asshole who put his hands on Sakura.

xoxoxo

This was bad. This was _bad._

Sakura didn't like seeing Sasuke fight. It had happened a few times over the years, and to her distress, more often than not he got into fights because of her. He'd laid Kiba out back at the lodge for the attempted sabotage over her. He'd beat Zaku six ways to Sunday in middle school for smacking her around.

Now it seemed like he was about to do so again.

His eyes, which had been so warm and inviting when looking at her, were suddenly steely and entirely devoid of humanity. He was so cold she thought she might get frostbite just by holding onto his arm.

But it seemed like she was the only thing anchoring him to reality. He wouldn't fight if she was in the way, and she didn't care what useless shit Oto kids got into scuffles over, this wasn't a situation that called for it. She was no longer the skittish, crybaby 12-year-old who'd needed Sasuke and Naruto to save her at every turn.

"Come on, Sasuke-kun," she coaxed. "Let's get out of here. It's not worth it."

"What's not worth it?" the girl Sakura recognized as Kin sneered. She remembered Kin, who'd held her arms down while Zaku stole her money and cell phone on the sidewalk. Bitch. "Whatsamatter? You're not _scared_ of us, are you?"

"Nope," Sakura shot back impatiently. "Sasuke-kun let's go."

The muscles in his arm felt like steel and he was trembling. Sakura knew what was going to happen and she yelled out, "Naruto? NARUTO! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!"

Their confrontation was attracting quite a bit of attention. If it was going to come to blows, as it appeared it might, she didn't want Sasuke taking on Zaku and Dosu alone, and there was no way he'd let _her_ duke it out with them, he was too much of an overprotective snot.

But Naruto didn't come. She hadn't seen him all night, now that she thought about it, and she cursed his sudden departure from Sasuke's side.

People began chanting "FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT" all around them. They gave Sasuke and Zaku a limited berth and as more and more people crowded around, someone bumped into Sakura hard enough to knock her down.

It was an accident, but Sakura knew Sasuke would take it as his cue to wreak absolute havoc.

Shit.

"SASUKE-KUN! DON'T!"

But Sakura was rewarded with the sound of knuckles slamming into skin, and all hell broke loose.

xoxoxo

**note..** Inspired partly by my fiancee fighting some dude when he hit on me at a bar, but mostly because the Phillies lost so _why should anything good happen to anyone._ Much angstier than most chapters, but did you really think that, without even admitting to one another how they felt, that Sasuke and Sakura could continue happily boning one another like nothing was wrong? More to life than sex, y'alls. Gotta handle that emotional shit, too.

Thanks for sticking around. See you soon! xoxo Daisy


	56. Openhanded

Ino, mid-makeout, saw a scuffle forming at the door over Kiba's shoulder.

"What's going on over there?" she asked.

He glanced behind him and turned right back to Ino. "Who cares?" he growled. "Let's head upstairs and-"

"No, wait a second, horndog, I think that's...is that _Sakura?_"

Kiba's attention was caught. He whirled around again and saw where Ino was pointing; in the middle of a group of wasted Oto kids was a short, skinny girl with bright pink hair.

"Shit!" he barked. "Ino stay there!"

Without bothering to see if she listened to him, Kiba shook off any traces of alcohol or arousal and zeroed in on the fight like a dog who had scented a rabbit. He battled through the crowd to get to Sakura, absently wondering what she could possibly have done now to incense a bunch of Oto assholes.

"Sakura!" he shouted. "What the hell's going on?"

She was on her hands and knees trying to stand up, from what he could tell, but everytime she moved, she'd be jostled right back down. He saw Sasuke deliver an absolutely wicked right hook to one of the guys' jaws, and speaking from experience, the kid could _hit._ But a fight was no place for a girl, so his first priority, before backing up his friend and unleashing pent-up, drunken aggression on their high school rivals, was to get Sakura out of the way.

He reached her and saw that she looked pretty banged up from everyone stomping and shoving around her, clamoring towards the fight between Sasuke and some kid with spiky hair. He pushed a guy away from her and seized her by the wrists, lifting her up to her feet effortlessly.

"Sakura! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" she cried back over the shouting and catcalls. "Kiba get Sasuke-kun, he's gonna get hurt!"

"Go find Ino!" he shouted, pointing out the frantically-waving blonde by the stereo. "We're getting out of here, this is ridiculous!"

He pushed her towards Ino but was stopped by the sound of knuckles on skin. He whirled around in time to see Sasuke, triple-teamed by a bunch of Oto kids, take a brutal slug to the side of his jaw and fly backwards against the door. Instincts kicked in and he flung himself into the fray, swinging his arm around and catching all three of Sasuke's attackers with a ruthless clothesline and knocked them flat.

Sasuke recovered remarkably quick from the punch, taking advantage of the brief moment of reprieve afforded him by Kiba's intervention. Kiba grinned roguishly at his friend and yelled, "That's to make up for the recording!"

Sasuke grinned back in understanding before refocusing on the fight, now bolstered by his friend but still completely outgunned. Though they'd laid out four of the Oto guys so far, there was still a room full of them to contend with, all of them hankering for a fight now that one had started.

Kiba was excited for a fight as well, but two against Oto's entire graduating class?

He didn't much like those odds.

xoxoxo

Kiba had knocked down Zaku, Dosu, and a kid named Ukon who played shortstop for Oto High. Sasuke wasn't sure which one caught him in the face, but he was sure he was going to make them all pay for it. It would be difficult to make out with Sakura with a bruised jaw.

The second Kiba joined the fight, Sasuke's previous anger with him vanished. He'd earned back Sasuke's trust in him, and repaired their wounded friendship. Kiba took the gracious way out of the battle for Sakura, and seemed plenty content with Ino at the moment.

But now wasn't the time to reflect on that; he had much more pressing things to deal with at the moment.

Thankfully, Kiba had had the wherewithal to drag a tiny, scrappy Sakura out of the fight; she was bound to get trampled on by the herd of douchebags trying to take a swing at him. She was out of sight for the moment, but with so many opponents to contend with, he had to trust her to take care of herself until he could get to her.

To his complete _horror_ however, as he kicked Ukon's brother flat on his ass, he watched Zaku scramble to his feet and rush towards a retreating Sakura. He wasn't seriously about to pick a fight with her _again,_ not when Sasuke was more than ready to deal death to anyone who fucked with her?

"Where ya goin, baby?" Zaku sneered. Sasuke watched his hand close around Sakura's wrist and experienced a rage so extreme, his vision clouded red. He saw Sakura whirl around, pink hair flying everywhere, and there was a deafening SMASH.

Everyone froze.

Everyone swung around to see what made the noise.

And everyone watched Zaku fly backwards, hitting the floor in an undignified heap with a tiny, scarlet red handprint on the side of his face. He didn't move.

Sasuke looked up at Sakura in shock. Had she just knocked out Abumi _Zaku?_

She was breathing heavily, and despite her small stature, she commanded everyone's attention. Her hand was still raised in a fist, her knuckles bleeding, and she stared down at Zaku, just as surprised as everyone else at what she had done.

Then, almost in a trance, Sakura smiled, bent down over him, ripped his wallet from his pants, and coolly removed two twenties before dropping it back on his stomach. She pocketed the twenties, snapped, "I'm taking my money back, asshole," and sweetly slipped out of the fray to a shocked, elated Ino.

Sasuke could have laughed.

"OI! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

Everyone looked up the staircase at Suigetsu, who was shirtless, rumpled, and glaring down at the rowdy group of kids from over the railing.

"PARTY'S OVER, YOU COCKASSES!" he shouted. "DUDE! My parents'll be home in two days and I _ain't going to jail over this! _OUT! GET THE FUCK OUT!"

Sasuke sighed, somewhat put out that the fight was over before he could send anyone to the hospital. But as he headed towards the girls against the force of the crowd of Oto kids fighting to get to the exit, he made sure to step _really hard _on Zaku's nose. Purely on accident. And it felt a little better.

xoxoxo

"You were _magnificent,_" Ino murmured hollowly. "I have...I have no words."

Sakura giggled. "Well he fucking owed me that money from middle school."

"Yeah but...you knocked him out. Emasculated him in front of all his friends!"

"And I got my money back. Let me holla at that water bottle, I don't want to get sick in the morning."

The two girls sat in Suigetsu's kitchen, sharing a bottle of spring water to battle off a hangover. Sakura hadn't had that much to drink, but she hadn't had that much to eat either. And now she was so excitable she doubetd she'd be able to swallow some bread to absorb the alcohol.

There was so much fear in the moments leading up to the fight, fear for Sasuke, whose volatility was so unpredictable that she was more than certain he'd end up in jail, and fear for her friends, who were grossly outnumbered by the horde of Oto douchebags. There was anger as well, and finally, there was adrenaline. When Zaku grabbed her, she was greeted with a golden opportunity: the chance to vent all of the emotions roiling within her.

She redeemed herself completely for that moment of weakness five years ago. She knocked Zaku flat on his ass and even snatched back the forty bucks he'd taken from her.

But she wasn't as happy as she should have been. She'd seen something scary in Sasuke. Violent, dangerous, and brimming right at the surface. Was that the kind of person he'd become at Oto? After just one day back at his old haunt, he'd relapsed so quickly into a person she could barely recognize?

The kitchen door banged open and a redheaded hurricane swept inside. Karin's hair was a mess, her makeup smudged, her dress wrinkled in a way that told everyone exactly what she had been doing.

"Sakura!" she yelled. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine!" Sakura chirped as Karin grabbed her arms and shook her to see if she was still alive.

"Your dress is killer, my name's Ino, and you should be friends with us from now on," Ino said flatly to the newcomer.

Karin glanced at her and replied, "I'm Karin, and yes. Now that we're friends, what happened? You scrapped with Zaku?"

Ino quickly regaled her new friend with a (dramatized, absurdly false) tale while Sakura returned her attention to her water bottle. The more she thought about it, the more unhappy she became with the situation. She didn't like Oto. With the exception of Suigetsu, Juugo, and Karin-who-was-awesome, she didn't like anyone _from_ Oto. And she _really_ didn't like the person Sasuke degenerated into after just _one day _back in Oto.

Suddenly, Sakura wanted to go home.

xoxoxo

There was no way anyone could sleep with that racket going on downstairs.

Shikamaru growled his displeasure before kicking the covers back and sliding out of bed. Suigetsu's parents had a comfortable-ass bed and what should have been a peaceful, early night in wound up being troublesome because Oto kids couldn't go _one night_ without starting a fight.

He was already nursing a broken heart. Would it be so much to ask for, to take a decent nap here and there?

He grabbed a shirt and tugged it back on before stomping out into the hallway. He heard labored breathing followed by an exclamation of 'DATTEBAYO!' in one of the bathrooms.

"Naruto, what the hell's going on downstairs?" he asked glumly, throwing open the door, and then he stopped in complete shock.

There, in the tub, was Naruto, his limbs wrapped completely around Hinata and so tightly, it was impossible to distinguish her arms from his. They were soaking wet. And they were _making out._

They didn't so much as look up when Shikamaru came in. He shut his eyes and sighed deeply before backing out of the bathroom again and shutting the door behind him.

He no longer cared what was going on downstairs.

He'd seen something traumatic enough to last for ten lifetimes, and with that thought in mind, he strode right back into Suigetsu's parents' bedroom, slammed the door shut, and collapsed back onto the California king bed with the long-suffering air of a war hero.

Fuck this trip.

xoxoxo

"Nice job, man!" Kiba exclaimed, clapping Sasuke on the back. "Next time call Sakura in as your wingman, she laid him OUT!"

Sasuke sighed. The living room was in a shambles, people's half-full drink cups littering the floor, trash everywhere, the curtains ripped from the windows. He would normally feel bad for being responsible for such a mess, especially in Suigetsu's house, but he was so jived at the moment that all he really wanted to do was find Sakura and yell at her.

What was she even _thinking?_

More importantly, though, he wanted to make sure she was all right. Shrugging off a jubilant Kiba, he crossed the wrecked living room in three strides and stepped into the kitchen.

Karin rounded on him first.

"And where were YOU while Zaku was trying to yoke up Sakura, huh?" she screeched.

He had no time for Karin's immediate ladycrush on Sakura and sidestepped her without a word. He exchanged a significant glance with Ino, who understood immediately. She sprang up from her stool at the breakfast bar and patted Sakura on the back before seizing Karin and Kiba.

"Come on!" she said cheerfully. "Let's start cleaning up Suigetsu's living room, yeah?"

Before either one could protest, she dragged them heartily out of the kitchen and left Sasuke alone in the room with Sakura.

She had yet to turn around and face him, which unnerved him. She sat on the high stool with her little legs dangling off the floor, her pretty pink heels kicked off. Sighing, he stepped over to the medicine cabinet above the sink and collected some antiseptic and a bandage before approaching her.

"That's not the way I taught you to hit," Sasuke scolded.

xoxoxo

_"...but he wouldn't lay OFF," Sakura was saying. He hadn't mean to overhear, but in his defense, her voice carried in the courtyard where they were eating lunch. She sat underneath a cherry tree with a bowl of applie slices in her lap, regaling Ino with the story of her latest (failed) date._

_Sasuke didn't LIKE that Sakura dated, but it wasn't like he could hold it against her. He hadn't made any apparent claims for her so she was technically a free agent. So was he. The only difference was, he didn't act on his freedom._

_But until he was ready to make his move, he had to endure the fact that other guys were brave enough to make theirs. And while Sakura wasn't very successful when it came to guys, a fact that should have made him happy, he resented the fact that she put herself in dangerous situations with guys she barely knew._

_"Lay off how?" Ino asked._

_Sasuke listened closely, tuning out Naruto's one-sided conversation about his top 34 favorite ramen flavors. If someone was harassing Sakura, he'd need to have a name and social security number before being able to exact appropriate revenge._

_"Just kept PRESSURING me. Put his hand on my leg at the movie and tried to make out with me in the bus on the way home. Sucked. Such a waste of time."_

_Sasuke's eyes FLAMED._

_"Eh, not like it matters, you weren't that into him anyways," Ino said airily. "But how'd you get him off you?"_

_"Punched him in the stomach."_

_Ino laughed. "That's my girl. But seriously, Sakura, that's like the fifth guy you've punched and dumped this year alone! You've got the wrong interpretation of hit and quit. You literally hit people. When really you're supposed to bang and then move on."_

_The rest of their conversation was ignored. Sasuke squared his jaw and returned his attention to his lunch. He didn't have much of an appetite anymore._

_He walked Sakura to the ballet studio after school that day. It was something he did on days he didn't have baseball practice, and Sakura stopped questioning his presence. Her talk with Ino ran through his mind before he finally stopped her on the sidewalk and pulled her around to face him._

_"Don't go out with anymore assholes," he snapped._

_Sakura was immediately angry._

_"Excuse me? Who are YOU to dictate who I go out with? It's NONE of your business!"_

_"Tch," he scoffed. "At least have the sense to hit them properly, then!"_

_"Sasuke what are you even talking about?"_

_"You have no idea how to defend yourself, do you?"_

_Sakura blinked. "I...what?"_

_"When a guy comes onto you how do you push them back?"_

_"I...hit them. Sasuke this is weird, why are you..."_

_He stopped her by grabbing her wrist. "You lead with your body," he said flatly. "And if you want to do the most damage, hit them open-handed. Otherwise you'll break your hand."_

_"I haven't broken my hand yet, Sasuke."_

_"But you're going to. It's small and weak. Especially if the guy coming at you is big. Hit them open-handed in the face. Knee them in the groin if you can. Scream fire. Poke 'em in the eye and try and hook your finger around to pop it out of its socket. Go for the-"_

_"Can you just shut up?" Sakura laughed. "I'll try the open-handed thing next time but everything else, they taught us girls in health class in eighth grade. I don't know why you're so bent out of shape!"_

_Sasuke sighed, pissed off at how quickly he'd lost control of his emotions. She riled him up so damn much all the time._

_But Sakura smiled sweetly, a flirty look in her eyes as she said coyly, "But maybe you should take me out sometime, yeah? Show me a good time with a good guy so I don't have to hit anybody."_

_Sasuke rolled his eyes as she bounced into her ballet studio, but when he was certain she was inside and out of sight, he smiled._

_Take her out, huh?_

_Didn't sound half-bad._

xoxoxo

Sasuke took her hand gingerly and inspected it. Her knuckles were torn and bloody, evidence of her punch connecting with Zaku's teeth.

"I told you to hit open-handed," he murmured.

She said nothing as he cleaned her shredded knuckles. He wrapped the bandage gingerly around her hand and there was silence in the kitchen.

"I don't really know you, do I?" Sakura spoke finally. Her voice was sad.

This was why he didn't want her in Oto. It was dangerous here, and she was extremely far out of her element. But more than that, the person he was in Oto was not the person she knew, not the person she trusted.

And here, Sasuke didn't trust himself, either.

"You know everything you need to know," he answered.

Sakura flexed her fingers before running them through her hair and sighing wistfully. "I thought I did," she said softly. "I thought I knew. Or rather, I thought that what I knew was enough, but now I'm not so sure. So tell me straight, Sasuke-kun. How do you feel about me?"

xoxoxo

**note..** PM's wanting to know what 'clique' I would consider myself part of nowadays: I'd say a mixture of cheerleader with pretentious hipster, sprinkled with biology geek, shaken not stirred with a side of ballerina flirtyqueen. If that helps.

Thanks for the reviews, y'all. They keep me going mhmm. Love youuuu.

xoxox Daisy


	57. Deja Vu

Sasuke was prepared for a lot of things, but not for that.

Sakura looked tired, sad. Tiny where she sat on the stool and upsettingly frail. The question she asked was simple enough, but there was so much behind it.

His eyes were locked on her bandaged hand and he didn't say anything for a long time. There was silence in the kitchen as Sakura sighed heavily and stood.

"Well I can't say I didn't expect this," she said. Her smile was heartbreaking.

"Expect what," Sasuke bit out. He felt anger bubbling within him and he wasn't sure why.

"That I was wrong."

"Wrong about _what,_ Sakura."

"I don't know, Sasuke. I guess I thought that maybe this time around it wasn't one-sided."

His heart raced. _Did she mean..._

"I told myself I wouldn't tell you until I was sure you felt the same way. But I was stupid to ever think that you would. If you really loved me back, you would've told me months, years ago. I saw things the way I wanted to see them, I guess. I projected my feelings onto you and only saw what I wanted to see."

"Sakura..."

"No. It's okay, Sasuke. Really it is."

"You..."

"Look, I'm trying to be mature about this, okay?" Sakura was laughing, but Sasuke had never found anything to be less funny in his entire life. "You didn't force me to do anything, I knew what I was getting myself into. I got carried away, that's all. It's fine. I don't regret what we did. You didn't do anything wrong."

Sasuke couldn't believe what was happening.

He couldn't say anything. All of his apprehension about this very confrontation was choking him and to his disbelief, he couldn't tell her any different. She was too good for him, he'd always known that. She loved him, he'd always suspected that, hoped for that, but couldn't understand _how._ And now, she was breaking up with him? If he could call it that. They weren't together, not officially, so it wasn't an actual breakup, but it felt like a fissure cracked through his heart and he literally couldn't open his mouth to tell her how wrong she was.

Tears spilled from Sakura's eyes and he never hated himself more than in that moment. She was trying to be brave, and he found he would have preferred that she screeched at him. He was more than equipped to handle her anger, to match her blow for verbal blow and get his point across through one of their thousands of arguments.

But this?

"Well, I think you can understand why I want to end the...the game, or whatever," she continued. She was fighting, he could tell, to keep it together. "It's...you know. Self-preservation and whatever. I'm gonna...I'm going back to Konoha. Till college starts anyways. And...I'm sorry since I know we're really good friends and all but I just...I can't see you. For awhile, anyway. Just till I get over this. I hope you can understand that."

Sasuke couldn't _understand_ anything.

Here it was. The moment when he could prove to Sakura how wrong she was and in how many ways. Here was his opportunity to tell her how _stupid_ she was for thinking that he felt anything less than burning, maddening love for her, equal to the love she felt for him, if not more so. Here was his chance to dry her tears and assure her that she was a moron and a fool and a presumptuous little twit and that he _loved her._

And what he came up with was this:

"God you're so _stupid,_ Sakura."

She smiled up at him. A beautiful, brokenhearted smile that made his stomach turn to ice, and then she leaned up and pressed a featherlight kiss to the corner of his mouth. His eyes slid shut; he exhaled sharply through his nose as she abruptly drew away.

"I'm sorry for putting you through all this, Sasuke," she murmured. The repeated omission of the suffix (_his_ suffix) grated on his nerves but he couldn't even tell her _that much._ "Enjoy the rest of your summer, and thank you for everything."

Thank you?

She was breaking his heart, hers too, and all she had to offer up was _thank you?_

And it hit him like a knife in his gut, as he was transported back in time, away from this familiar devastation and back where everything started.

xoxoxo

_It was raining at the bus stop. Such a cliche. Sasuke stood alone, a backpack slung over one shoulder, waiting for the bus to Oto. Ambition had won the fight against his heart._

_He was leaving Konoha._

_"You're leaving? Just like that?"_

_Sasuke had been hoping to avoid this exact conversation. His grip tightened marginally on the strap of his backpack, but he didn't turn around to face her. Not if he wanted to keep his resolve._

_Sakura would have none of that. A small hand grasped his elbow and he found himself spun around and staring into the very eyes he hoped he would never see again._

_She looked angry and scared in equal measure. Her short pink hair was soaked with rain and her cheeks were flushed, her breathing irregular, indicating she must have run here hell-for-leather. The bruise over her left eye, relic of the scuffle the week before with Abumi Zaku, had not yet properly healed._

_A twinge of guilt, roiling beneath all of his determination, threatened, but he forced it back down._

_"What are you doing here, Sakura," he muttered. "It's late. You shouldn't be out here alone."_

_"You weren't even going to tell me?" she demanded, blowing off his scolding completely. "You were just...just like that? Just LEAVE?"_

_"The dobe told you." Damn Naruto._

_"Yes, he did, and how could you keep something like this from me?" Sakura snapped. She shoved him as hard as she could but he brushed it aside. He'd need to really steel himself against this, because Sakura, in her own unique infuriating way, had a particular knack for crawling under his skin and making him do things he couldn't explain._

_But if Naruto thought that sending the girl he had a crush on here to stop him was going to work, he had another thing coming._

_He liked Sakura. Nowhere near enough and way, way too much, all at once. It was too little, too late, however. His greatest chance at success was in Oto, where their principal could secure him a place at his first choice school. This was his golden opportunity to restore the mighty Uchiha name and he wasn't going to throw it away._

_Not even for his friends. Not even for annoying pretty girls with pink hair and green eyes._

_Couldn't she see this had to be done?_

_"Go back home, Sakura," he said harshly._

_"Don't do this, Sasuke-kun, please don't go." Tears gathered in her eyes. She was panicking now, and Sasuke wondered exactly how he would react if their positions were reversed. He came up with nothing, because he knew Sakura would never leave him. Not the way he was leaving her._

_His teeth clenched. Did she have to make this so much harder than necessary?_

_"You're always like this," he snapped. "You're so _annoying,_ Sakura! Go home!"_

_"I'll...I'll do anything!" She grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, her fingers trembling. "I'll try not to be as annoying, I'll do whatever I can to help you get into the right schools and...whatever you want, Sasuke-kun, just please stay here with us! We're your friends! We love you!"_

_"Sakura-"_

_"_I LOVE YOU!"

_His heart skipped a beat. His mind went blank, and he acted before he could stop himself._

_He grabbed her upper arms and yanked her close to him. Her shock was evident on her face as he screwed his eyes shut and kissed her._

_Their first kiss was clumsy and inexperienced. Neither knew what to do to make it like it was on TV, and it was over quickly, but Sasuke felt heartache and exhilaration in equal measure course through his veins like lava. There was a sense of completion in it as well; he'd finally kissed the pretty girl in all his classes who haunted his daydreams, but it was over here._

_It had to be._

_He was no good for her anyway._

_The bus pulled up to the bus stop, and the doors opened with a hiss. He let her go and murmured, "Go home, Sakura. It's over."_

_"Take me with you!" she sobbed desperately. She had no idea what her pleas were doing to him, she could never know. It took every shred of willpower within him to shake his head._

_"You belong here," he said quietly. "I need to do this. Good luck, Sakura."_

_He stepped onto the bus and turned around, committing the face of the most beautiful girl in the world to memory, and with a smirk that was closer to a smile, he said, "Thank you."_

_He didn't see her again for two years._

_xoxoxo_

He'd broken her heart with a thank you all those years ago.

Standing in the kitchen, alone, since Sakura must have slipped off during his reminiscence, he mused that she was now doing the exact same thing to him.

And he couldn't let it happen again.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed. After Sakura's speech, he was frozen, lost in memories and deja vu; how long ago had she left the kitchen?

Gritting his teeth, he took off after her, up the stairs. Like hell would he let her run out on him now, after all that! She had the completely wrong perception of what was going on. She thought he didn't reciprocate, was that it? She thought that she loved him, and his feelings for her ran no deeper than sexual attraction.

All because he couldn't open his fucking mouth and tell her different. Well, fuck that. He was going to scream in her face until she understood that she was the most important person in the world, the best part about him and that he fucking loved her.

He stormed through the hallways, missing the somewhat rewarding sight of Hinata and Naruto making out like bandits in the bathroom, focused exclusively on the guest bedroom the girls were staying in. Angry, angry because she was stupid and presumptuous and he was a coward and responsible and _guilty,_ Sasuke threw open the door and shouted, "Sakura!"

But the room was empty.

Her suitcase was missing.

She was gone.

xoxoxo

**note..** Don't kill me! lolz. Love youuu.


	58. Where in the World

Sakura sat in the back of the cab with her suitcase haphazardly packed beside her and tried her hardest not to cry.

The cabbie tried to make pleasant conversation, but all she could manage was stiff, polite, one-worded replies. It was a wonder she hadn't broken down yet, and the last place she wanted to do that was in the backseat of a taxicab in the middle of Oto at three in the morning.

But staying another minute in the same house as Sasuke was an unbearable, unthinkable concept given what had just happened.

She knew she could have grabbed Ino and Hinata, told them what happened, and they would have immediately accompanied her back to Konoha. They would have let her cry and cry and rage and cry in the Jeep and consoled her and made sure she had some hot chocolate at some point before heading home.

But this was not just Sakura's trip, a fact she had conveniently forgotten when things were going so well with Sasuke. She couldn't be so selfish, even in her heartbreak, as to drag Ino away from Kiba and Hinata away from Naruto like she'd been doing the whole time.

This was her problem to solve now. She couldn't yank her friends away from their romantic successes just because she wasn't going to get hers.

The thought choke her. Tears burned in her eyes but she stared hard at the cracks in the upholstery of the seat she currently occupied, unreasonably fascinated by the cuts and slashes while the cabbie prattled on about something she didn't care about. She wished he would just shut up. Nursing a broken heart was hard enough without having to pretend to be interested in the useless facts about Oto he kept spouting off.

She hated the whole city. It sucked. It was awful.

The sooner they got to the airport, the better.

xoxoxo

"She's gone!"

Ino rarely, if ever, heard Sasuke _exclaim_ anything. Usually, if such a phenomenon occurred, it was him yelling something profane and childish at Naruto. But he burst into the guest bedroom she and Karin were currently talking in, eyes wild, completely disheveled and thoroughly freaked out.

She sort of understood what he was going through. Sakura's departure had been pretty unexpected.

"I know," Ino replied calmly.

"You _know?_ Why didn't you _stop_ her?" Sasuke's panic morphed quickly into anger, and Ino bristled.

"She ran in here about to have a breakdown, grabbed her stuff, told me not to let anyone follow her, and left," she snapped. She jumped off the bed and poked him in the chest with an accusing finger. "Doesn't take a _genius_ to figure out why she might be upset, does it? She told you she loved you, didn't she?"

"I don't have time for this, where did she go?" he demanded.

"You're going to _make_ time, Uchiha!" Ino screeched. Karin, still sitting on the bed, looked between them with shock; apparently she had not seen Sasuke so angry before, nor had she seen someone willing to go toe-to-toe with that anger.

"Damn it, Ino, you-"

"Shut the _fuck_ up, you idiot! This whole thing is all _your_ fault! If you had just been honest with her from the beginning, she wouldn't have so much doubt in herself! You've been head over ass for her since _middle school_ and everyone knows it but _her._ And rather than be a man and tell her about it yourself, you resort to this caveman-like possession where you sabotage the shit out of every relationship she might be able to have with another guy because you're JEALOUS. So you string her along and hook up with her and then fuck her and you never tell her you love her so she thinks (and reasonably so, you asshole) that you're only in this for her body just like every other guy you try to protect her from!"

Sasuke looked stricken. Ino didn't stop there.

"This whole trip, all she wanted was an answer, one way or another," she spat. "She thought that if you followed her around, it meant that you were willing to chase her for a change! And all the making out and hooking up and shit meant the world to her and she thinks it meant nothing to you! Jesus you fucking idiot how do you even sleep at night?

"Of course she left. Who am I to stop her?"

"Her best friend," Sasuke ground out. "You know her better than I do." Ino was surprised; he sounded like it was something he didn't want to admit, and did so begrudgingly. "Where would she have gone."

She recovered from her surprise, folding her arms and turning her nose up at him.

"What makes you think I'm gonna help _you?_" she sniffed.

"This ain't a game anymore, Ino," he said sharply. "She's alone. This isn't Konoha; you've seen what people from Oto are like. We need to find her."

Ino considered him for a few moments, piercing blue eyes raking across his face and taking in the determination in his eyes, the masked worry and the resolution she knew he would need. He looked like a panther ready to spring.

"No," she said slowly, carefully. "We don't. You need to find her, Sasuke."

He looked about ready to throw a tantrum before catching her meaning. Black eyes shone with understanding as he asked, "Where would she have gone?"

xoxoxo

Apparently news about her departure had spread. Sakura's phone was blowing up with worried texts and frantic calls from the friends she'd ditched, so she turned it off and shoved it into her pocket.

The Oto airport was pretty much deserted at such an obscene hour. After much haggling with the front desk, the only ticket she could find for Konoha was a connecting flight that stopped first in Kiri, and wouldn't leave for another two hours. After coughing up way more money than she should have spent, and grumbling her way through security, she found herself seated alone at her terminal, a cup of black coffee in her hands as she considered the way things went down.

Well, this was pretty much the last place she expected to find herself.

She tried to remind herself that this was always a possibility. She'd set off from Konoha wanting to know how Sasuke felt about her, and there was always the chance that he didn't reciprocate her love. It wasn't like it was a complete surprise.

He'd slept with her. Taken her virginity. That probably hurt the most; it was special for her, even if the conditions weren't completely ideal. It wasn't like he'd carried her across the threshold of a pristine hotel room, laid her on a bed strewn with rose petals before telling her over and over how much he loved her, his sweet angel Sakura...

She chuckled. Hell no. That was unrealistic, and frankly, not what she wanted at all. They were 18-year-old screw-ups and they got down the best way 18-year-old screw-ups knew how: immediately, in the backseat of a car, and in the middle of the woods.

Even knowing Sasuke didn't love her back, she didn't regret doing it with him. She was lucky to have her first time take place with someone she loved and trusted, even if she wasn't loved and trusted in return.

Sakura sighed. This would unalterably affect their friendship from here on out. Being around him would be painful, for awhile, anyway. A long time. She'd loved him for much of her life, after all. That was possibly the saddest part of all: after all of this, not only was she losing Sasuke as a potential boyfriend, she was also losing him as a friend.

The coffee in her hands was growing cold, but she drank anyway, needing the caffeine after such a long, long day. The adrenaline from her sudden departure from Suigetsu's was wearing off and she wanted nothing more than to sleep.

They finally announced her flight and began boarding passengers. With a heavy heart, Sakura joined the queue forming at the gate.

She needed to quit the game and focus on healing her heart.

xoxoxo

Sasuke left everything he'd brought with him in his car and all but sprinted into the Oto airport. He brought no luggage with him, and bypassed baggage claim completely.

His sharp eyes raked across the airport as he ran, searching for a familiar head of bright pink hair. There were almost no other people there so early in the morning, which should have made his hunt even easier, but he couldn't find her.

Which flight could she have taken?

He paused long enough to see that there were three flights to Konoha that morning; two had left already, and the third was boarding at the moment. It connected in Kiri for a two-hour overlay, before touching down in Konoha around four that afternoon.

He had no way of knowing which one held Sakura, but he prayed it was the last one, the only one that hadn't taken off yet. It led him to Terminal E Gate 7, and with superhuman patience, he stalked through airport security and took off at a dead sprint.

As luck would have it, he saw her. Long, long pink hair and long, long legs, holding a too-big purse and flashing the attendant her ticket. Relief flooded his veins as he shouted out, "Sakura!"

To his horror, however, she didn't hear him. She stepped onto the flight and headed down the corridor and out of sight.

Without a ticket, he couldn't follow her.

_SHIT._

Now what?

xoxoxo

"I don't get it, Ino!" Naruto said. "What happened?"

"I just told you, you idiot!" Ino snapped. She was focused exclusively on the road ahead, polished fingers gripping the steering wheel with surprising strength as she gunned it towards the freeway. "Sasuke is awful so Sakura left. We need to get back to Konoha."

"THAT DOESN'T EXPLAIN ANYTHING, YOU BITCH!"

"Naruto I will _castrate_ you, you hear me? Sit down and shut up. Keep trying to get a hold of Sasuke."

Ino found her Jeep filled to capacity. She and Hinata sat in the front seats, with Naruto, Kiba, and Shikamaru crammed in the back. Karin and Suigetsu showed every sign of wanting to come along, but there hadn't been enough space for them.

A pity. She liked Karin a whole lot.

But there was no time for that now. They had to get back to Konoha in time to see Sasuke and Sakura's climactic get-together. She would pay just about any sum to not only see Sakura get the happy ending she deserved, but to see Uchiha Sasuke prostrate himself before her like a weak, lovesick fool as well? There was no way she was missing it.

They weren't bothering with flights. It was a four-hour drive back to Konoha, and odds were, Sakura wouldn't be able to find a flight leaving immediately anyways. With a little luck, and a lot of speeding, they might be able to get back home before her, in time to bear witness to her union with Sasuke.

Her little purple Jeep had not failed her yet. She stroked the vinyl steering wheel cover with all the love in the world, and prayed it wouldn't fail her now.

xoxoxo

Sakura looked out the window as the plane took off. The sun was starting to rise over Oto, but it felt like a sunset to her. An ending.

She leaned back in her seat and let her eyes drift shut. With any luck, this would all be a dream, and when she woke up, she would be back in Konoha, friends with Sasuke and nothing more than that.

It was over.

She'd given up.

xoxoxo

**note..** Holy death threats. What's a story without conflict, y'all? I promised you a happy ending and I'll give you one...give me a chance to set it up, at least :)

Thanks for all the reviews and support, it really keeps me going! Love you guyssss.


	59. Flight Risk

The very last thing Sakura wanted was a flight delay.

But because everything in her life seemed to be imploding all at once, she now found herself sitting at the counter of the Kiri airport Starbucks, her chin propped up in her hand. Three empty Vanilla Bean frappes were scattered in front of her as she sucked the fourth one dry, heaved a world-weary sigh, and motioned to the barista.

"Another frappe. Make it a double."

He eyed her nervously. "I think you've had enough, Miss."

Sakura glared at him, a glare that would have made even Uchiha Sasuke proud, and yelled, "I'LL TELL YOU WHEN I'VE HAD ENOUGH! Give me another _fucking_ frappe!"

It felt maliciously cathartic to vent some of her pent-up anger and sadness on someone, even if it was just an innocent bystander. She glared at the barista again as he presented her another frappe with all the wariness of sticking his hand into a tiger's mouth. She glared at the frappe because there wasn't enough whipped cream. Then she turned and glared at the enormous window that provided her with an excellent view of the hurricane that grounded all flights out of Kiri until further notice.

"Asshole," she hissed. "Asshole motherfucking hurricane. I fucking hate you."

Sakura was well aware she probably looked demented, and the fact that she was muttering obscenities under her breath (at the weather, of all things) most likely wasn't helping her case. But damn it, she'd just had her heart broken, the pieces scattered over five cities, never to be recovered again.

If she wanted to cuss out the hurricane, she would.

Now that there was some distance between her and Sasuke, however, she needed to consider the next phase of her return to Konoha. One problem stood out prominently above the rest:

Where the hell was she going to stay?

Sakura had cut ties with her parents. She didn't tell them or anything, but when they hadn't shown up for her graduation, she had quietly, silently detached herself from them. They didn't even know she was on a trip.

The idea of returning to her house, spending another moment with her dickhead parents, with her father who knocked her around when he was drunk and her mother who saw it and didn't care, was nauseating. She'd taken to staying with friends, Ino and Hinata and occasionally virginity-taking, manipulative black-haired cockasses, towards the end of high school, but they were still out on their adventure.

She didn't have much money left, having squandered most of it on hotels and vodka, purchases that seemed necessary at the time, but she probably should have budgeted some in case of emergency. There were two whole months before college started. She couldn't possibly afford to rent a place in the meantime.

Sakura sighed as she drained her fifth cup. This was not at all how she planned to spend her vacation, but this was the gamble she'd taken, wasn't it? She'd known from the start that it could have gone either way with Sasuke. And unfortunately, it hadn't gone the way she wanted it.

She didn't hate him. It wasn't his fault that she put so much unnecessary faith in him. It wasn't like he'd held her down and forced her into anything.

But it still hurt. His eyes were full of such warmth, such affection, how could she have known she was misinterpreting? He'd been so gentle when they slept together. She closed her eyes, remembering the way his hands felt skimming across her back, how good he smelled, how warm his skin was pressed against hers. Even beyond the sex, he was soft with her, teasing her, flirting with her. All the signs pointed to the fact that he reciprocated her feelings.

Had she been wrong? Leaving him so abruptly, without letting him explain himself?

Sakura knew she was an impulsive creature. She liked adventures, so she went on them. She liked risks, so she took them. She was spontaneous and unpredictable. Not even she could ever accurately deduce what half-cocked stunt she'd pull next.

Maybe, though, this time, she should have stuck around.

_I was afraid,_ she thought, deciding to be brutally honest with herself, now that she was stuffed full of vanilla bean frappes and in too much stomach pain to move. _I didn't want to hear him reject me, I didn't want to hear the words from his mouth so I jacked out before he could say anything. What if he wasn't going to reject me at all?_

As quickly as the thought came, she battled it back, shaking her head furiously to clear her mind. She couldn't afford to get her hopes up again, not when she'd made the decision to move on from Sasuke. She couldn't let herself be hurt any more than she already had been.

She sighed again, contemplated ordering a sixth frappe but deduced that she would suffer some type of painful stomach-related death on the floor of the airport if she consumed anything else. And she had other things to worry about. Like...

What was waiting for her back in Konoha?

_Nothing,_ she thought sadly. _Nothing because my friends are gone. HE'S gone. It's all over._

The thought was the most depressing in the world.

She was so caught up in her self-pity that she didn't notice someone take the stool beside her until the man who had done so loudly cleared his throat.

"Well hey there, gorgeous."

Sakura looked up to see a man in his mid-twenties, tall and muscular and good-looking in a douchebag kind of way, smirking at her as he raked his eyes remorselessly over her figure. She sighed and turned back away from him, too uninterested to even tell him off.

"Shame about the weather," he continued, apparently not taking the hint.

"For a lot of reasons," Sakura muttered. _Chief among them being I'm stuck here listening to you, you dick._

"Where ya headed, anyway?"

"Somewhere."

"What's your name?"

"Leave me alone. I'm busy."

Far from taking offense to her cold rejection, the man chuckled like she was the funniest sitcom on television. "Ooh, I like girls like you. Hard to get and whatever."

"Try _impossible_ to get," she snapped.

"Whatsamatter? Boyfriend?"

She answered without thinking. "Yeah. Big guy. UFC fighter." Her cheeks flamed at the complete lie, but hopefully it would be enough to scare this asshole off.

No such luck. Instead, his hand dropped to her thigh, and she froze, astonished at his actions.

"Nice try," he sneered. "If you had a boyfriend, he wouldn't leave you all alone in an airport, would he? Now let's get going...I'll get you a drink. Something stronger than a vanilla coffee."

"What part of _fuck yourself_ don't you understand?" Sakura snarled. "I want you to _leave me alone._"

"Baby don't be like that, come on-" His hand drifted from her leg to her hand, pulling on it coaxingly. His grip jostled the knuckles she'd bruised punching the daylights out of Zaku at the party (had it only been hours ago? It felt like years.) She winced and yanked her hand back.

"I'm not your baby!" she yelled. "Get _off_ me!"

Several things happened very quickly after that.

One second the douchebag was trying to negotiate her out of her clothes, the next he was lying on the floor, howling something fierce and clutching a now-broken jaw. She found herself unseated, about to fall as well, before a strong, soaking wet arm wrapped around her and held her upright. Sakura blinked down at the asshole in confusion before turning to face her savior.

Green eyes widened.

"Oh my fucking God."

xoxoxo

Sasuke made up his mind.

He was going to kill Sakura when all this was over.

She wasn't answering his texts, and when he called her, it went straight to voicemail, indicating her phone was off. That meant she was flying, or she was ignoring him.

Either way, she'd signed her death warrant.

His only hope was that she was on the flight that connected in Kiri. If she was already back in Konoha, he was fucked, but if by some small chance she was waiting for her connecting flight in Kiri, he was still in the game.

Now, the problem was reaching Kiri alive, since once he got on the road again, the skies opened up and the _heaviest rain in the history of rain_ began pouring down on his beat-up Jetta. His windshield wipers worked furiously as the wind howled against his car, jerking it back and forth. Lightning forked overhead, and Sasuke cursed his bad luck.

Absently, he hoped that the storm meant that flights would be grounded out of Kiri. If she _was_ on that flight, then she would be nice and stuck waiting for it to pass. Sitting duck. Shooting fish in a barrel, or whatever.

She was impulsive. It was one of her best and worst attributes. Her spontaneity made her exciting, made every moment with her thrilling, because he never knew what to expect from her next. But it also made her fickle and, coupled with her dramatic nature, it meant that she never let anyone get a word in edgewise once she got an idea in her head.

And regrettably, the idea she'd gotten into her head this time was that he didn't love her the way she loved him.

_Idiot,_ he thought angrily, gripping the steering wheel with such force, it was a wonder it hadn't snapped in two. _I've loved you for years. You've just been too stupid to see it._

He coasted into the airport parking lot on fumes, having neglected getting gas in favor of catching up to his flighty more-than-a-friend, and his car decided to die in the lot furthest from the airport. He cursed himself again, realized it couldn't be helped, and kicked open the door.

Rain soaked him through the second he emerged. Black hair plastered itself to his head, in his eyes, his clothes stuck to his skin like a disease. He entertained a very satisfying, very graphic fantasy of catching up to Sakura and _dismembering_ her for all the trouble she was putting him through as he ran towards the airport, ducking cars who couldn't see through the storm and bolts of lightning, it felt like. Wind was screaming in his ears and he vowed that if he was struck by lightning and killed on this wild goose chase, he was going to haunt Sakura for the rest of her life.

The one good thing about the whole ordeal was that, because of the hurricane, he hadn't seen any planes take off from the runway since arriving. That was a good sign. If Sakura was inside, she would never be able to outrun him.

He earned more than a few curious stares from everyone stuck inside the airport. Soaking wet, dripping all over the spotless floors, he was more than certain that one of the janitors flipped him off, but there was no time to deal with that now.

He was on a mission.

Kiri's airport was enormous. Sasuke was out of breath, half from his run through the Apocalypse outside and half from his sprint through the various terminals. He made it through security in under five minutes, having no belongings but his cell phone to check, and ignoring the suspicious glares of the security guards, he found Terminal C, where the flight from Oto had landed just hours before.

Sasuke looked around, pausing to catch his breath. There were a few stores and restaurants at the terminal; his gaze swept clinically across each one to find the one most likely to contain Sakura. Mcdonald's? Definitely not, finding a maggot in her shamrock shake three years ago turned her off the entire chain for the rest of her life. Burger King? Nope, she was afraid of the King commercials. Starbucks?

Bingo.

If she was anywhere in this hellhole, it was there. He knew that when she was sad or angry or stressed, she liked to gorge her tiny stomach on vanilla bean frappes. And right now, she was most likely a combination of all three, an unnecessary byproduct of being way way too stubborn to actually _listen_ to him for once. If she had given him a moment back in Suigetsu's kitchen, he would have admitted his love for her. But she'd gone off the handle instead and broken her own heart in the process.

He saw pink right away, and experienced a nightmarish combination of relief and anger. Relief that he'd found her, that she was here and he could clear this whole thing up, and anger because she'd made him go through all of this all because she couldn't shut her mouth long enough to hear what he had to say. She had no faith in herself or him, apparently, and it was her greatest flaw.

Sasuke sighed, forcing himself to calm the fuck down already so he could take care of this ridiculousness. Handling Sakura was never easy; he had no reason to hope that it would become easier even considering their inevitable future relationship and probable marriage. But, as maddening and infuriating and annoying as she really was, she was also worth it.

And part of him had to acknowledge that if she knew that herself, maybe she wouldn't be so insecure.

He stalked towards the Starbucks and strode inside, ready to shout her name and scream in her face and call her stupid and then kiss her, but something stopped him cold.

Sakura was sitting at the counter. A man was sitting beside her.

He was holding her hand.

Sasuke, with inhuman willpower, forced himself not to lose control. There was no way Haruno Sakura was the type of girl who dealt with a heartbreak by flirting with the first available guy. Even if the sight _was_ incriminating, Sasuke forced back the jealousy and anger and urged himself to look at things logically. Knowing Sakura for as long as he did, he knew more than most how a simple misunderstanding could have monumentally distastrous consequences.

Sure enough, the situation became clearer and clearer to him the closer he got to the counter. Sakura wasn't flirting with him. She was _yelling_ at him.

Sasuke's vision clouded white with rage, but a small, violent part of him was grateful. Some guy coming onto Sakura? He dealt with that almost every day back in Konoha. As long as she wasn't returning the advances, this was a situation he could handle. Plus, the fight at the Oto party ended prematurely, before he could go absolutely crazy all over Zaku and his friends; this would be an excellent way to release some of his pent-up frustration.

He smirked briefly before taking off at a run for the counter. Sakura never saw him coming, and neither, apparently, did the asshole who was hitting on her.

His fist smashed into the bastard's jaw, having the desired effect; he crashed to the floor, nearly dragging Sakura down with him, but Sasuke snaked an arm quickly around her waist and yanked her in against him to keep her balanced.

There was chaos at once. You couldn't deck someone in the middle of an airport, not without getting arrested. Luckily, however, everyone in the Starbucks vouched for Sasuke, saying that the man yowling on the floor like a wounded animal was harassing Sakura and had gotten what he'd deserved. Sasuke was blankly glad he didn't have to go back to jail over Sakura, who had yet to say anything to him besides, "Oh my fucking God."

He waited till security gave them the go-ahead before storming out to the lobby again, dragging Sakura with him. She looked too surprised to say anything intelligent, which suited him fine. Her inability to shut the fuck up and listen was what got them in such shit in the first place.

He pushed her into one of the seats in the corner, somewhat secluded, where he could yell at her in private. She didn't struggle, her shock too great, and he sat in front of her, staring hard into wide, almost frightened green eyes so she could not possibly misinterpret the most important words he would ever utter to her.

"You. Are. _ANNOYING."_

xoxoxo

**note..** Back, y'allllllll! Hope this makes up for my absence. Love you guys!


	60. Coming Clean

She couldn't believe it.

There he was.

Like some kind of fucking asshole superhero, he'd arrived just in time to save her from yet another cocky douchebag who thought he could feel her up without any consequences.

This was starting to get ridiculous.

They sat facing one another, his hands on her knees to prevent her from running off. The gesture made her feel claustrophobic. Remembering how badly it had hurt, confessing her love to him and getting nothing in return, made her throat close up and she realized she was scarily close to tears.

"You. Are. _Annoying._"

The familiar insult loosened her tongue. Sakura snarled.

"If that's you trying to apologize for being such a dickbag cockulous, you'd better try the fuck again!"

Sasuke looked stricken, then angry, his handsome face contorted with ire. "What the _hell_ do I need to apologize to _you_ for? You're a maniac, Sakura! A fucking lunatic. Everything you do is irrational. You don't think, you just run your fat mouth and fly off the handle. You're a mean, nasty little monkey is what you are, and you're stupid on top of it!"

Sakura's jaw _dropped._

"I feel like I'd be angrier if I wasn't so shocked at your ability to string more than five caveman grunt syllables together in an hour," she snapped back automatically.

Sasuke's grip on her knees tightened, and she hoped they weren't attracting as much attention as it felt like they were.

"You're a fucking _idiot,_" he growled. "The stupidest girl in the entire world and I don't know _why_ I put up with you. You don't think about anything at all before you act, not whether what you're doing is reasonable or even _sane_ let alone legal, and you work yourself up for nothing and drag everyone else around you down with you in a spiraling shitstorm of complete _fuckery_ and fuck it if I'm going down with you!"

"If I'm such a problem," she said shrilly, "why the hell are you still following me?"

"There you go again!" Sasuke snapped. "Taking everything the fucking wrong way, as usual!"

"HOW ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO TAKE THAT, ASSHOLE?"

By now, they'd attracted a fair amount of attention, but Sakura couldn't bring herself to care. She was angry and upset and Sasuke was driving her crazy.

"That's it," Sasuke said flatly, standing up abruptly. The look in his black eyes was blazing, and for a moment, Sakura wondered if he was going to slap her right across the face. Instead, he grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet out of the plastic chair. "We're not doing this here. I'm not going to jail _again_ because of you."

"If you don't let go of my fucking arm, I am going to scream for security," Sakura hissed.

"Don't you dare," he growled. "Sakura I don't want to hit you but if you push me, I am going to kick your little ass all the way back to Konoha, you understand?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed.

"You're going to make me miss my flight."

He scoffed and tugged her towards the exit. "Nothing's taking off in this shit. Idiot."

"Sasuke-"

"Is there a problem here, you two?" a third voice interjected. Sakura and Sasuke whipped around to face an airport security guard, who was eyeing them suspiciously. "Young lady, is this boy harassing you?"

"SHUT UP!" Sakura yelled, and was surprised to hear Sasuke shout the same thing at the same time. The security guard took a step back, somewhat intimidated by the pair of them screaming right in his face, and Sasuke took the moment's hesitation to drag Sakura further towards the doors.

"Sasuke it's fucking pouring outside, what are you-"

"I'm not having this discussion here!" he snapped back without looking at her.

Sakura was somewhat surprised at his reaction. He was very, very angry, and she could count on one hand the number of times he yelled at her in his life, but here he was. His shoulders were tense, he was breathing heavily and he was soaking wet, evidence that he must have run here through the rain. She didn't know what to think of his urgency or his unusually short temper, and it was too much to hope that he was really that desperate to find her.

They burst outside and the wind hit her in the face like a fist. Her hair whipped around in the rain and she could barely see through the downpour; Sasuke's grip on her arm was like a vise as he jerked her towards him, tugging her in against his body to keep her warm. Against her will, Sakura was touched. Even in his anger, he looked out for her.

"SASUKE IT'S POURING!" she shouted over the roar of the storm. "DAMN IT, LET'S GO BACK I-"

He stopped abruptly, whirled around to face her, and yelled back, "WHY DID YOU FUCKING LEAVE?"

xoxoxo

Ino gunned the engine as hard as she could. The city limits of Konoha were within sight, and she would be damned if she missed the legendary unification of Sasuke and Sakura.

_They only have me to thank for getting together,_ she thought fiercely, remembering all the times she'd snapped at Sakura to have faith in her stupid love interest.

_"Well as far as Proms go, ours was pretty sweet, huh, babydoll?" Ino giggled._

_Sakura looked oddly distracted as she negotiated the last of the bobby pins from her best friend's intricate updo, and didn't respond. The girls were sitting on the floor of Ino's bedroom. It was late, hours after Prom, and they'd just gotten back from an afterparty, still a little tipsy and trying to extricate themselves from their dresses and hairdos._

_"You all right?" Ino asked, frowning. "You look upset."_

_"Not...upset," Sakura said. She looked confused. "I don't...I don't really know how to feel."_

_She sat down on the carpet, holding her Prom Queen crown, turning it over and over in her hands. "Ino...Sasuke-kun kissed me."_

_Ino's jaw dropped before her face split into a blinding smile._

_"WHAT? HE DID?"_

_"Yeah," she said. "During the spotlight dance, I'm surprised you didn't see it. Everyone else did."_

_"Nah, I was in the bathroom, I think...he kissed you? Really? Why? What was it like?"_

_"It was...really nice. Just kind of natural. Leaned in and kissed me."_

_"Then why the HELL are you not jumping for joy? You've been head over ass for Sasuke-kun since middle school! You should be ecstatic by now!"_

_"Well...I don't really know how to feel about it. He kissed me, and that was it. We ended up getting really drunk at Kiba's and we fell asleep together, and that's all he did. Didn't say anything." She held up her phone. "Hasn't texted or called me since then. I don't know, Ino. I feel like he's jerking me around."_

_Ino scoffed. "Oh, please. He's just a moron. You know that. He's been crazy about you for years, Forehead. You're the only one who doesn't see it, but it's true. Sasuke doesn't kiss any random girl."_

_"But..."_

_"No buts, idiot. Give him time."_

_"How much more time can I give him, Ino?" she sighed. "We graduate next week. If he's as crazy about me as you think he is, why wouldn't he have said something before now?"_

_"Give. Him. Time." Ino's voice was firm but gentle, and she smiled at her best friend, who was better than her in every conceivable way but still needed her big sister wisdom every now and then. "I'm serious, Forehead. If I thought it was a lost cause, I wouldn't encourage you to waste any more time on him. As it is..." She laughed. "Just promise me when y'alls get married, I get to be maid of honor."_

_"Ino!"_

_xoxoxo_

Ino smirked remembering that night as she turned off the freeway towards Konoha. While her idiot friends rambled on and on and on, she tuned them out and thought of her naive best friend and the moron she was about to hook up with.

_Don't you dare do this without me seeing it, Forehead! I will never forgive you!_

xoxoxo

She looked up at him with her eyes wide. Sasuke could barely see her through the wind and rain; her face was illuminated by the forks of lightning streaking overhead, and he shook her shoulders roughly as if hoping to jostle an explanation out of her.

"Why, Sakura?" he demanded. He was angrier than he could ever remember being. She drove him insane, every single thing she did drove him crazier. "Why did you leave?"

"I told you I loved you!" she shouted back, her voice barely audible over the din. "I said I loved you and you just sat there!"

"You flipped the fuck out on me, out of fucking nowhere!" he snapped. "I tried to get you away from that fight and you turn it into 'I don't even know you!' Then you storm out and leave me there and I want to know _why._"

"BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT ME AND IT'S MAKING ME CRAZY!" Sakura finally screamed. She shoved his chest as hard as she could, forcing him to release her, and grabbed her soaking wet pink hair in both hands, pulling hard enough to hurt. "You slept with me, Sasuke! You made me think you wanted me and then you just sat there when I told you I loved you!"

He flinched as he always did when Sakura was upset, but now was not the time to lose face.

"I'm an open book for you, but I don't have any idea what's going through YOUR head!" she cried, and he couldn't tell if she was crying through the rain, but her voice was breaking. "I don't know anything about you when it comes to this! For all I know, you were plowing your way through the Oto field hockey team, God damn it! I said I loved you and you didn't even-"

"What the _hell_ do you see in me, you stupid girl?"

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Sakura had the entirely wrong impression about what he was thinking. She thought he didn't feel the same way about her, that he was using her for her body and nothing else, that he wasn't the person she thought he was.

He wanted to smack her, but he mostly wanted to smack himself. Sakura was a loose cannon, but the only reason she doubted herself was because he'd never told her straight how he felt.

Well that was going to change. _After_ he yelled at her for making him so crazy.

"You're everything to me, you asshole!" Sakura shrieked. "You're _everything_ to me, Sasuke, you're everything I ever wanted! You stupid, stupid piece of shit!"

"You're so _annoying!_" Sasuke yelled. He barely noticed the storm anymore. He barely noticed that his arms and legs were freezing, that he was so tired he could have slept for days. "You're a _maniac,_ Sakura, you really are! You never shut the fuck up to let anyone else say anything, you fly off the handle and jump to all the wrong conclusions because you're _stupid!_"

She released a feminine scream of rage and raised her hand to slap him with. He caught her wrist effortlessly and continued to yell.

"You're insane, Sakura! I don't know how you haven't been put down yet, you're like a mad dog foaming at the mouth ready to ruin everyone's life! You're loud. You need attention all the time. You take shit too seriously and you're too stupid to think before you act. You drag me around by my dick this whole damn time, you get me sent to fucking jail, you tease me and make me worry about you and you annoy the _shit out of me..."_

Sakura froze. Her eyes were wide, bright with fury and hurt. She shoved him again and snapped, "Then go the fuck back home to Konoha and don't ever let me fucking see you again!"

Sasuke watched as she spun on her heel and turned back towards the airport, her hands clenched into fists, her hair plastered to her head and sticking to her shoulders. He watched as she moved swiftly away from him, trying to keep herself together.

_Not again,_ he thought fiercely. _Not till you get it through your_ head.

"And if I said I fucking love you?" he said sharply, to her retreating back.

And Sakura froze.

xoxoxo

**note..** Hahahahaha. Love you.


	61. Repeat Offenders

"I don't know about this, I-Ino," said Hinata nervously.

"It's what needs to be done," Ino replied, her voice determined.

"I don't know, Ino," Kiba remarked. He had his arms behind his head as they all stood in front of the homey-looking yellow house with white shutters. "Who knows if they're even home?"

"Look, neither one of them is answering their phones," Ino snapped. "We don't know where they are and they aren't at Sasuke's so they've got to be here."

"Unless they never made it back to Konoha," Shikamaru said dryly. "What if their flight was delayed?"

"Sakura would have flown out of Oto, they didn't have any delays, we already checked." Naruto was impatient, desperate to see Sasuke and Sakura make up (and out). "So who cares if Sakura-chan's parents are the scariest people on the planet? They might know where Sakura is. Let's go!"

Ino, bolstered by Naruto's vote of confidence, strode up the front porch steps and knocked on the Haruno family's front door.

She was heavily disliked by Mr. and Mrs. Haruno, something they had always made abundantly clear on the rare occasions she would visit Sakura at home; more often than not, Sakura would hang out at Ino's house instead. The older they got, the rarer and rarer Ino's visits to the Haruno household would become, until finally, Sakura was so permanently a member of the Yamanaka family that she had her own room and everything.

Ino preferred it that way.

Ino was more aware than just about everyone except Sasuke what bullshit Sakura had to deal with at home, and couldn't blame her for wanting to leave. The knowledge didn't make her overly fond of her best friend's parents, so when Mrs. Haruno answered the door, Ino didn't bother with niceties.

"Hey, old woman, where's Sakura?" she snapped. Hinata gasped behind her but she ignored it.

Mrs. Haruno looked scandalized. Vaguely, Ino wondered where Sakura got her looks from; her dad was a towering hulk of a man with sand-colored hair and beady amber eyes, and her mother was tall, reedy-looking, with features that might have been beautiful once upon a time, before bitterness twisted her face into a permanent scowl. Or like she smelled shit constantly.

"I ain't got all day," Ino barked. "Is she here? Let me see her! She's got a lot of 'splaining to do!"

"Miss Yamanaka," Mrs. Haruno huffed, "how _dare_ you show up _unannounced _and _uninvited_, demanding such-"

"Look, lady, this is serious!" Naruto shouted. "Sakura and Sasuke are finally about to hook up and probably get married even though Sasuke's a big idiot and Sakura's a big idiot too and we're gonna miss it if you don't tell us where they are and we've been waiting _centuries_ it feels like 'ttebayo!"

Mrs. Haruno rolled her eyes and fluffed her perfectly-coiffed auburn hair needlessly, and Ino was about to smack the tattooed eyeliner off her face when she was joined by Mr. Haruno, who towered over the five teenagers congregated on his porch and regarded each one with lethal, angry eyes.

"What's the meaning of this intrusion?" he barked.

"Aw, stuff it, you old dick," Kiba snapped. "We're just looking for Sakura. Is she here?"

"She's not," Mrs. Haruno returned coldly. To her husband, she spared a vicious sneer of contempt. "Seems like our _free spirit_ daughter's shacking up with the _Uchiha boy._"

She spat the name like it was a disgusting swear, and beside her, Ino felt Naruto flinch.

"It's no business of ours what that foolish girl decides to get mixed up in," Mr. Haruno returned flatly. "Sakura has not been to this house in months and she would be unwelcome if she ever tried. It's not my problem or my wife's that you've lost tabs on her. I always knew that Uchiha kid was trouble. Now get the hell off my property before I call the police!"

He made to close the door, but it never happened.

Hearing Mr. Haruno insult Sakura, then Sasuke, had made Ino angry enough to hit, but someone beat her to it.

"NO ONE TALKS SHIT ON MY FRIENDS, DATTEBAYO!" Naruto bellowed, before tackling Mr. Haruno at the waist and sending them both crashing to the floor.

Kiba and Shikamaru joined the fray as well, and Ino yanked a screaming Mrs. Haruno by the hair before letting loose a string of incoherent swears and insults hitherto unheard by modern man. And Hinata regarded the ruckus with an almost resigned weariness, before darting inside to join the fight.

If you can't beat 'em, beat ON them.

That's what she said. Maybe. Whatever.

xoxoxo

His words screamed through her head.

Immediately, irrationally, she was angry.

"Don't you dare," she hissed, not turning to face him, unable to look into his bottomless black eyes. "Don't you dare say things you don't mean, especially not something like that!"

Over the cacophony of the storm, she made out the distinct sound of his footsteps approaching her, of wet Converse sneakers moving slowly, purposefully through the puddles in the parking lot. She willed her feet to move, she urged herself to run, but she was frozen.

"I don't say _anything_ I don't mean," Sasuke replied quietly. Vaguely, she realized that was true. Uchiha Sasuke was not one to sugarcoat things; if he said it, it was true.

But that made no sense. If what he was saying was true, that meant that he loved her. Right?

And the concept of it was so beautiful, so wonderful, that she immediately doubted it. How could anything be as perfect as giving all of her love to the boy of her dreams, and receiving it in return?

_There IS such a thing as too-good-to-be-true,_ she reminded herself bitterly. Tears clouded her vision as she stared straight ahead sightlessly, no idea what to do next. _What's his meaning here? What's his intention? What am I supposed to do NOW?_

"I thought you knew," Sasuke said in her ear. He was directly behind her, almost close enough to touch but with the barest of centimeters separating them. A chill that had nothing to do with the rain rocketed up her spine at his sudden closeness; his overwhelming presence made it hard for her to breathe, let alone sort through what he was saying. "Or that you'd figure it out. But you need everything spelled out for you!"

His hands gripped her waist from behind and he spun her around to face him. Sakura drank in his appearance, painting his face with her eyes. He looked more handsome than ever, his spiky black hair matted against his forehead and framing his angular face. His lips were set in a determined line, his brows furrowed in frustration, his black eyes boring into her own.

_Focus, idiot!_ she chastised herself, flushing red at her sudden filthy thoughts in the face of Sasuke's confession. _There will be time for that later, if there's any justice in the world AT ALL._

His fingers dug into her sides like he was afraid she might slip away if he let go. He looked so very _angry._

"Sakura," he breathed her name like a prayer and a curse, and she bit her lip in nervousness at whatever he was about to say. "I've loved you for _years._ You were too stupid to see it. You were too impatient to hear it from me, and _fuck it_ if I'm gonna let you run away _again._"

"You...you really mean it? For serious?" Sakura was horrified at how weak and saccharine her voice sounded; at a time like this, she wanted nothing more than to come across as confident, sexy, self-assured. But Sasuke's proximity, and the beautiful shock of his words, stripped her of all her defenses, and she was squeaking out pathetic lines like that like a Disney princess. Damn it all to hell.

"What'd I just say?" he snapped.

Well, he wasn't _exactly_ a Disney prince either.

"Well after all this, I don't think it would _kill you_ to say it again!" she huffed.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, then grabbed the soaking wet collar of her shirt and tugged her in and smashed his mouth against hers. And Sakura, aware that this was the closest she was ever going to get to a Disney kiss, (and that it was way sexier than anything Jasmine or Belle ever got) responded immediately, instinctively, and with all the confidence that the boy she was kissing was as in love with her as she was with him.

Standing on her tiptoes to meet his towering height, Sakura felt herself smile into the kiss.

xoxoxo

Kicking the shit out of Sakura's parents seemed like a good idea at the time.

Naruto, sitting in a Konoha jail cell, reflected that perhaps he'd had better ideas.

He wasn't overly concerned with getting himself in trouble. The officer who'd arrested him was a family friend; Iruka would understand once Naruto explained the circumstances. Not only were Sakura's parents really, really awful people, but this was about Sakura and Sasuke. And pretty much all of Konoha was waiting to see them finally stop being so stupid and get together already.

They were _legends,_ practically.

Still, it was annoying to have to wait here in yet another jail cell, surrounded by a grumbling Shikamaru and a muttering Kiba, for the second time in a month.

Ino and Hinata had escaped arrest, somehow. Naruto had to hand it to them. Both of them were crafty females and had spun a really convincing (false) tale about how they'd tried to break up the fight but really were acting in self-defense.

Tch. He'd seen Ino sock Mrs. Haruno in the nose. Nothing defensive about _that._

As for the game, Naruto wasn't sure if he'd won or not. If they'd won, or lost, or if it was even over.

Well, he'd made out with Hyuuga Hinata. And they were boyfriend and girlfriend now, something he still couldn't quite wrap his mind around. What could someone as good and nice and sweet and pretty as Hinata see in someone like him? He'd always thought her so far above him that to even try for anything romantic with her was extremely foolish.

Which was exactly why he understood Sasuke so well, because he felt the same way about Sakura.

_"I don't get it, Teme," Naruto sighed._

_Sasuke didn't answer. His gaze was a million miles away, his thoughts on a different planet. Naruto, ignoring the itchiness of the tie he was wearing, tried again._

_"You just kissed _Haruno Sakura,_" he said. "Probably the prettiest and coolest girl on the face of the earth. Not to mention, the girl you've been head over ass for since preschool, practically. And you did it in front of everyone! Why the hell don't you just ask her out already?"_

_"Idiot," Sasuke snapped. He'd loosened his tie already, and looked as though he felt even Prom was beneath him. They stood outside the crowded hotel lobby where the event was being held to get some air, and Naruto needed to confront his idiot best friend after witnessing the single most romantic thing in the history of love: Sasuke kissing Sakura in the middle of the spotlight dance._

_"I'M the idiot?" Naruto yelled. "YOU'RE the idiot! Sakura-chan's not gonna wait for you forever, you know! Someone's bound to hit her up if you don't! What are you waiting for!"_

_"I'm no good for her, dobe!" Sasuke hissed, rounding on him at last. He looked angry, but Naruto sensed that his anger was self-directed. "Don't you get it?"_

_"What, you don't think you're good enough for her?"_

_Sasuke said nothing, which Naruto took to mean yes._

_"Well NO SHIT you aren't good enough for her! Of course not!"_

_His best friend shot him a sour glare, but Naruto was laughing. "Jesus, Sasuke, a real-life Disney fucking prince wouldn't be good enough for her because she's _Sakura." _He said that like just her name explained everything, and he knew it did, at least to Sasuke. "But you're as good as she's ever gonna get because you're crazy about her and she's crazy about you. So what are you doing out here?"_

Remembering their conversation made Naruto smile and roll his eyes all at once. He and Sasuke were polar opposites about most things, but exactly the same about the things that mattered. And somehow, they'd both lucked into getting girls that were so hilariously better than them in every way, it was ridiculous.

Naruto stared at the tiny window in their cell and hoped Sasuke wouldn't fuck it up anymore than he already had.

xoxoxo

When Sasuke had the presence of mind to pull back from kissing Sakura, he wasn't sure how much time had passed.

Minutes, hours, centuries could have elapsed, really.

But now, it was out there, his love for her and hers for him. And judging by the blinding smile of joy on her face, he couldn't help but feel like it was worth all this fuckery, just to get to this point.

Which happened to be standing in the middle of a hurricane in an airport parking lot, hours from home, her arms in a tentacular grip around his neck.

"We should get out of the storm!" she yelled over a particularly loud clap of thunder. "Where's your car, Sasuke-kun?"

He grabbed his keys and her hand and took off running, grimly remembering that he'd been forced to park what felt like lightyears away from the airport itself. Still, adrenaline from their penultimate confrontation still surged in his veins, and they arrived at his car only mildly out of breath.

They collapsed into the driver's and passenger's seats, breathing heavily, soaked completely through. Sakura looked at him and giggled, and dryly he mused that it would be just his luck to fall for the only girl in the world who would think running through a hurricane was _fun._

"Well that was an adventure," she breathed. "How about we hit up the Waffle House or something? All this sexy soul-searching has me hungrier than the mighty brontosaur."

"Good one," Sasuke returned dryly, shoving the keys into the ignition only to remember one very crucial detail. "Shit."

"What?"

"We're out of gas."

"...fuck me."

The second the words were out of Sakura's mouth, and he met her blushing gaze with an absolutely filthy smirk, Sasuke suddenly had a very, _very_ good idea how to spend the rest of their time waiting out the hurricane.

xoxoxo

**note..** "Hurry up" and "I hate you where's the update" aren't really motivating reviews. But I love you anyways, yafeelme. :) Almost done on this story, y'all. Few more chaptahs and then that's it. Hope you like what I've got up my sleeves! Love youuuuuu let me know what you think!


	62. Rescue Mission

Breathless, a bit sore between her legs and completely exhausted, Sakura sighed and ran a hand through her sweaty pink hair.

"Maybe someday we'll actually make it to a bed," she mused wryly.

Sasuke merely smirked, looking supremely self-satisfied as he reclined in the driver's seat, arms folded behind his head. "It was your suggestion," he pointed out smugly.

"Hardly. 'Fuck me' in that scenario did not mean...er...well, what just happened in here. And you know that, you pancreas."

"Tch. Annoying."

"I'M annoying? You're the one who ran out of gas and got us stuck here!"

"I wouldn't have _run_ out of gas if you hadn't taken off like some deranged-"

Sakura was through listening to Sasuke, and promptly turned away from him, something she knew infuriated him but she didn't have time to care about that. The rain hadn't let up in the slightest, and she had no idea where the nearest gas station was located. They couldn't very well stay put inside the Jetta of Eternal Sex and Fucking (secretly dubbed in her head) forever.

"How much money do you have left?" she asked.

"Not much," he replied, opening his wallet. "I'm maxed out, mostly. Like eighty bucks left."

"I have some on my card still. Think we can afford a hotel room? Kiri Airport has a hotel on the upper levels."

"Hn. Might as well."

"Well, let's get back inside and see. I'll call Ino and find out where everyone is, maybe they can come pick us up or let us siphon their gas or whatever."

"Aa."

xoxoxo

Sasuke still couldn't quite believe his luck.

Yes, it had been a long and frankly fucked up road for the both of them to take, to reach this rather obvious conclusion, but he couldn't say he regretted it, not when it had been so fun and exhilarating and thrilling. Sakura had turned their years-long game of cat and mouse into a game, and Sasuke, his arm looped lazily but possessively around her shoulders as they headed up to their hotel room, mused that their relationship, at least, would never be dull.

He'd need to invest in a GPS tracking collar for Sakura, of course, but with the considerable Uchiha fortune, that would be no trouble at all.

They took the elevator, and Sasuke shivered, recalling how indescribably painful it had been all those weeks ago, being on the receiving end of Sakura's violence. She'd dropped him like a hot potato, and the memory made his ears burn in shame. But now, when Sakura spun to face him with a coy smirk and pressed her body against his, murmuring something hot and breathless into his ear, he found he had a whole new respect for elevators.

When they reached their room (which cost them the last of their money), he moved to grab hold of Sakura, but she danced out of his grip, eyes playful but firm.

"Keep it in your pants, Romeo," she teased. "I need to find out where our friends are, yafeelme?"

_I planned to,_ he thought irritably, instead stalking into the bathroom to change out of his wet clothes. When he emerged, Sakura was on the phone, talking in obnoxiously loud volumes.

"What do you MEAN, you beat up my mother? Ino!"

_Ino beat up Sakura's mom?_ Sasuke thought, impressed against his will. He'd found a brand new respect for the infuriating blonde; it had long since been a personal vendetta of his, a desire to knock Mr. Haruno down a few pegs for treating Sakura so poorly. Hearing Ino do just that to his bitch wife? Gravy.

"What do you MEAN, Naruto beat up my father? Ino!"

_Dobe,_ thought Sasuke with a smirk.

"What do you MEAN, the boys are in jail again? Ino!"

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose; this was getting repetitive, and therefore, annoying. He snatched the phone from Sakura and put it to his ear instead.

"We're stuck in Kiri," he said flatly, blatantly ignoring whatever Ino was in the process of telling Sakura. "Out of gas. We don't have time to bail them out."

"They're your friends, you traitor!" Ino sounded scandalized, and his increased respect for her after giving old Mrs. Haruno the old one-two vanished, because he'd nearly forgotten how aggravating she was. "How dare you leave them to their unholy fate?"

"Oh, shut up, Yamanaka," he snapped. "Iruka'll let 'em off with a warning. We need gas."

"Tch. Like hell am I gonna help _you,_ you stupid dumb idiot! You fucked Sakura over!"

Sakura grabbed the phone back and shot Sasuke a wink before informing her best friend, "Minus 'over.' Hollaaaa! Catch you on the flippity flip!"

Then she hung up, and Sasuke sighed and massaged his temples.

"Sakura answer me one thing."

She looked pretty triumphant in the wake of her smart alecky comment, and cocked an eyebrow.

"How the hell are we gonna be home soon, if you _hung up on the only people who can bring us gas?_"

And he was rewarded with pretty green eyes widening in realization, and a string of profanities falling from pretty pink lips, and Sasuke wondered why he was fated to love such a temperamental, flighty, foot-in-mouthy, outspoken _moron._

And he wondered why he wasn't half as mad as he thought he should be.

xoxoxo

Ino was pissed the fuck off.

She hung up and turned a burning glare onto Hinata, who was waiting anxiously to hear what Sasuke and Sakura had to say for themselves.

Ino puffed up like a pufferfish, swollen with the force of her indignation, and bellowed, "WE MISSED IT! WE MISSED THE FUCKING HOOK-UP GODDAMNIT! They couldn't stop themselves, Hinata! They banged or something and we missed the legendary hook-up and I will NEVER FORGIVE NARUTOOOOO!"

"It wasn't his fault, Ino!" Hinata said quellingly, optimistically. "At least they got together, right? Where are they now?"

"Amazing," Ino snapped scathingly. "In a relationship for like _two hours,_ and your stutter goes away like it's nothing. Maybe you were faking all this time."

"Ino," Hinata said, with a touch of warning.

"They're in Kiri," Ino said, trying to calm herself down. Was it so much to ask for, that she get to be present when Sasuke finally admitted his feelings for her best friend? After all the wasted years, watching them dance around their obvious attraction, powerless to stop it, was it really too much to want to see the fruits of her labor?

Apparently so, and for that, Ino resented her best friend and her stupid hottiehotthott love interest.

"They sound fine, I guess. Sasuke said they're out of gas, but-"

"Out of gas?" Hinata gasped. "In _Kiri?_ They're out of gas in Kiri?"

"That's what I said, dingus, open your ears."

"Ino! There's a _hurricane warning_ in Kiri! What if they're on the side of the road in the middle of the storm with the rain bearing down on them and the wind pushing them to and fro and nothing to stop them from getting crushed to death by a falling tree, their bodies never to be discovered again, swept away like dust on the wind and-"

"Oh shut the fuck up, Hinata!" Ino snapped, but she was worried, now that Hinata brought up the whole hurricane thing. She hadn't put two and two together, but now... "Sakura sounded fine. She hung up on me. Told me to hollaaaa. Catch you on the flippity flip. They're probably fine."

But Hinata looked terrified, her short spiky hair wild as she paced back and forth like a caged grizzly bear.

"Which is _exactly_ what Sakura-chan would _want_ us to think, if she was really in trouble! She probably called us again just to hear the sound of our voices one last time before she was carried away by the storm..."

"_Hinata!_"

"Catch you on the flippity flip? Like the flip side? Like DEATH?"

"HINATA!"

"Ino we have to rescue them, with or without the stupid boys!" And it was a mark of how serious Hinata was taking the situation, that she did not prioritize Naruto's release from jail over pretty much everything else. "This ain't a game anymore, Hottest Fucking Bitch Ever...Dr. Pink needs us to save her!"

And with Hinata's invocation of their laser tag aliases, Ino was convinced.

"Ten-four, Hina Banina," she said sharply. She grabbed her keys and gestured to the worn-out purple Jeep that was their chariot of adventure over the past few weeks. "Operation: Dr. Pink Hurricane Rescue and Also Save Sasuke Too Even Though He's A Cockass is officially underway!"

Hinata grinned. "I'll round up the troops."

xoxoxo

Tsume was not a happy camper as she regarded her son.

"_Arrested?_" she screeched, as they left the police station. "_Arrested,_ Kiba?"

Kiba rolled his eyes and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I did what needed to be done."

"_You assaulted a man in his fifties in plain view of everyone in the neighborhood!_ Our old neighbor! And then...correct me if I'm wrong...after knocking out Mr. Haruno cold, you proceeded to call Mrs. Haruno a..."

"Mealy-mouthed crotch pheasant," Kiba replied automatically, and then he laughed out loud. "Man, that was a good one."

"_INUZUKA KIBA!"_

"Jesus Mom, relax!" Kiba laughed as they reached his mother's car. "It was just the Harunos. You never liked 'em anyways. Besides, that geezer ain't weak, Ma, yafeelme? He's a big dude. Took all three of us guys to knock him down, while Ino and Hinata kicked his bitch wife's ass."

Tsume looked about ready to explode, so Kiba sighed and tried a different approach.

"Look, Iruka let us go with a warning. No harm no foul."

"NO HARM? KIBA YOU RELENTLESSLY ASSAULTED A-"

"Complete dick," Kiba finished abruptly.

"Sakura-chan's father!" Tsume corrected scathingly. "My son, an ex-con. And just what will Sakura-chan say, when she learns what you've done!"

"She'll probably thank me for it. Ma get in the car, you're embarrassing yourself. Besides, I wanna see Akamaru. Man have I got a lot to tell _him!_"

His phone rang.

xoxoxo

Chouji pulled up to the police station in his dusty white Oldsmobile, and his lazy best friend greeted him from the steps. Chouji opened the door for him and waited while Shikamaru loaded his backpack into the backseat, before sliding into the passenger's seat.

"Do I even _want _to know?" he asked.

Shikamaru was quiet for a moment before he smirked and shook his head.

"Probably not, man," he replied. "Probably not."

His phone rang.

xoxoxo

Jiraiya was completely unpissed about coming to collect Naruto from the police station.

It's what made him probably the coolest godfather alive, and for that, Naruto was happy.

In fact, as they drove back to their bachelor pad in the rough neighborhoods of Konoha, Naruto drinking in the sights of his much-missed hometown, all Jiraiya _really_ wanted to know was if Naruto had met any fabulous females on his sage-like journey.

"Just Hinata-chan!" Naruto chirped happily. "My girlfriend!"

"Girlfriend?" Jiraiya was so dumbfounded he nearly crashed the car into oncoming traffic. "What d'you mean girlfriend? Have I taught you _nothing?_"

"Oh, stuff it, you ancient ass. We got bigger problems than that anyways, like _where the hell are Teme and Sakura-chan?_"

Jiraiya snorted with laughter.

"If I had to guess it, they eloped," he snickered.

"ELOPED?"

"Please. I've known those kids since they were teething and I've been hedging bets with the old ball-and-chain" (This was Jiraiya's pet name for a close family friend, Tsunade, whom he regarded with a mixture of fear and admiration) "on when they'd finally get together. That'd actually be really good material for my next book, see, I want to have a feisty heroine with a sweet rack and an ass you could bounce a quarter off of, plus the Uchiha kid looks like he walked right off the cover of a romance novel, and-"

"I CAN'T HEAR THIS YOU OLD SLUT!" Naruto bellowed, clamping his hands over his ears. "WE GOTTA FIND 'EM! WHAT IF SAKURA-CHAN'S IN TROUBLE?"

Jiraiya scoffed and rolled his eyes as he turned down the street and pulled up alongside their little house, dubbed the Man Cave, and began rummaging around in his wallet.

"Look, as long as she's with Sasuke, she's gonna be fine," he said flatly, finding what he was looking for. "See that?"

Naruto glanced at what was in his godfather's hand, and saw that it was a picture of Sasuke and Sakura, taken the night of graduation, right before they left on their adventure. In the picture, Sakura was standing on tiptoe, her lips pressed against Sasuke's cheek in a sweet kiss, and his eyes were slanted in her direction in an expression that was nothing less than fond.

It was such a sweet photo, it nearly gave Naruto diabetes.

Then, a different thought occurred to him.

"Uh...why do you have a picture of them in your wallet?"

Jiraiya giggled nervously. "Well, uh...they're the inspirations for um...the characters in my newest novel, see, and I kind of wanted to...well, reasons aren't important. What are you gonna do next?"

Naruto wasn't quite sure.

Then his phone rang.

xoxoxo

In no time at all, Shikamaru, Kiba, and Naruto, responding to Hinata's emergency distress signal (mass text), were gathered around Ino's purple Jeep in front of her house.

"Sakura called you?" Naruto said excitedly. "Where is she? Is she with Teme? Did they erode?"

"Did they _what?_" Ino asked, confused. "Erode?"

"Yeah, dummy, did they _erode?_ Like in Vegas or whatever?"

"I think he means 'elope,'" Shikamaru muttered lazily.

"I do not mean 'elope!' What the hell does the gradual wearing-down of sediment have to do with Sasuke and Sakura getting married without inviting us?"

"You are literally too stupid to insult," Ino breathed, almost in awe of his idiocy.

"Focus!" Hinata snapped, and everyone turned to her in surprise at her assertiveness, but also completely respectful of it. "What we have here is a complete and total emergency. Sasuke's with Sakura in Kiri, and that's assuming they're still alive!"

"What do you mean?" Kiba asked, frowning. "Are they okay?"

"No they're not okay, what'd she just say?" Ino snapped. "They are in _mortal danger,_ understand? There's a fucking hurricane, okay, and they're stuck in it because Sasuke ran out of gas because he's lame, and we need to go rescue them ASAP. The game's over, this is officially a rescue mission!"

"We can't just call them?" Shikamaru asked dryly.

"Where's the fun in that?" Naruto laughed, excited for the newest leg of this grand adventure. "All right, Ino, let's get this show on the road, dattebayo!"

And the five-man rescue squad loaded up into the purple Jeep and as quickly as they came to Konoha, they were gone.

xoxoxo

Sakura decided that if she ever found out who invented the curling iron, and if she met the guy and he was cute, she was going to leave Sasuke for him.

She giggled as she pictured his reaction to her thoughts, and wound another long hank of hair around the ceramic wand and held it for seven seconds before releasing, and a perfect curl bounced neatly down her back. She was hogging up the bathroom after her forty-minute shower, twenty-minute blow dry, fifteen-minute make-up application and six-minute clothing selection.

Sasuke was taking her to dinner in the hotel restaurant, their first official date as an official couple; if they were stuck here like this, they could at least be fancy and try to enjoy themselves till they figured out what to do.

Planes weren't taking off in the weather, which seemed to be worsening, and until their friends made it to Kiri, they had no gas to drive.

So dinner seemed a decent way to kill some time.

"Exactly how fucking long are you gonna be?" Sasuke demanded nastily from outside the door. Sakura rolled her eyes and snapped back, "However fucking long I please. I'm curling my goddamn hair and if that's a problem for you, I'll let you borrow my curling iron when I'm done so you can shove it up your asshole and-"

The door flew open and Sasuke blew in like a hurricane himself.

He looked _impossibly_ good, and vaguely, Sakura realized that the only thing sexier than Sasuke naturally was Sasuke _trying_ to be sexy. The effect was staggering. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans, new kicks she hadn't seen before, and a navy blue button-up shirt that showed off his movie star physique. He looked pissed, too, but that only added to his appeal, and it was with that thought in mind that she dropped the curling iron on the hotel countertop and rushed her newly-christened boyfriend.

"Nope," he said flatly, gripping her waist and holding her at arm's length while she clawed and scratched and tried to kiss him. "You can't say whatever horrendous things you want and then expect me to-"

Ignoring him completely, Sakura twisted out of his grip before attaching herself to his front like a baby koala, arms wrapped like vices around his neck and her legs, bare in the tiny skirt she was wearing, wrapped around his waist to allow no distance between them.

She was rewarded with Sasuke's muffled groan of approval, and she began attacking his neck, since he wouldn't let her near his lips.

"What the hell's gotten into you?" he asked, stumbling backwards till his back slammed against the bathroom door.

"How did we keep our hands to ourselves this whole time?" Sakura demanded. "All these years and we're this fucking sexy, how did we contain ourselves?"

"It wasn't without effort," Sasuke mumbled stiffly.

And dinner didn't seem all that interesting anymore. And so Sasuke and Sakura spent their first official date as an official couple rolling around the king-sized bed, tearing at clothes and perfectly-coiffed hair and smearing makeup on the pillows. And room service delivered a few hours later.

Not a bad first date.

xoxoxo

Miscommunication seemed to be the theme of the trip. The very foundation it was built upon, actually. A series of misunderstandings, exacerbated beyond all reason and leading seven teenagers to make incredibly stupid decisions, and no one, not one of them, learned their lesson.

Which is why Ino, Naruto, Hinata, Kiba, and Shikamaru found themselves en route on a rescue mission, to save two people who didn't need to be saved.

And when they crossed into Kiri, and were greeted with the full force of a gigantic hurricane, and when the damn tire popped and stranded them on the side of the road...

...in the middle of a hurricane...

...with no one around for miles...

Well, maybe communication was something they could all work on, as a group.

xoxoxo

**note..** Gone for a minute on this one, yeah? Sorry for the delay. Had a few kinks to work out. Almost done on this silly story!

Love you guys. Thank you for your patience and your support!

Any dudes reading this, btw?


	63. Grim Reaper

Sakura smiled as she snuggled closer to Sasuke. Hours and hours of intense sexyhot sexytime left her happily exhausted, and apparently she'd worn out Sasuke as well; he slept soundly beside her, one muscled arm locked around her waist. His skin was still damp with cool sweat, and his breathing was relaxed and even.

She inwardly smirked at her ability to metaphorically outlast Uchiha Sasuke.

Outside the storm continued to rage. Her eyes flickered lazily to the window, where forks of lightning illuminated a cloudy sky that looked too dark to be real. Wind howled, grating against the glass, and thunder rumbled a constant cadence in the background.

But that didn't matter here, in the comfort of this (outrageously overpriced) hotel room, Sasuke's arms around her, his breath fanning the side of her face as he slept. She felt safe, she felt secure, she felt blisteringly _happy…_

She closed her eyes to sleep and was twelve winks away when her phone vibrated on the nightstand.

_Damn it,_ she thought angrily, feeling Sasuke stir beside her at the unexpected noise. _Who the hell could that be this late at night?_

"Ignore it." Sasuke's voice was a deep, baritone rumble in her ear. He did not sound pleased at being woken up.

She was content to do just that, until it rumbled again, and again, and again. Someone was calling, in that persistent kind of way that says, _I plain don't give a fuck if you're sleeping, I will keep calling until you answer._

Angry, she twisted out of Sasuke's grip and reached for her iPhone; she answered the call and inflated herself in preparation for a verbal ass-kicking to whoever was interrupting this amazing, pre-sleep afterglow, when she registered Hinata's panicked voice on the other line.

"Sakura-chan! Don't hang up! It's awful it's so awful it's _happening!_"

"Hinata?" Sakura mumbled, frowning in confusion as she sat up in bed. Beside her, Sasuke did the same. "What's wrong? Where are you?"

"We came to look for you in Kiri!" Hinata wailed. "But our _car broke down! _It's _done for!_ And we are stranded and this is the actual end of the world and _why did this happen why do bad things happen to good people?_"

"Hold on," Sakura said quickly, "what do you mean, your car broke down? Where are you? Who's with you?"

"Near Kiri, I think! Sakura you have to save us! We are all going to die. It is the actual apocalypse."

The phone must have been torn away from her, because just as Sakura was going to press for more information, Naruto's absurdly loud voice echoed deafeningly loud in her ear.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, TEME!" he bellowed, forcing Sakura to swear colorfully and hold the phone away from her ear. Immediately, Sasuke snatched it from her and put it to his ear instead.

"What the hell are you on about, you amoeba?" he hissed. His tone promised murder, and his eyes were bloodshot; Sakura made a mental note to _never ever ever_ interrupt Uchiha Sasuke when he was sleeping. "You know what time it is?"

"WHO CARES ABOUT WHAT TIME IT IS?" Naruto thundered. "THIS IS YOUR FAULT, ASSHOLE! WE JUST WANTED TO BE THERE WHEN Y'ALLS GOT TOGETHER, IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK FOR? BUT INSTEAD YOU FUCK UP BACK IN OTO AND COMPLICATE EVERYTHING SO WE CAME LOOKING FOR YOU AND NOW THE CAR'S BROKEN! IT'S _BROKEN!_ AND IT'S A HURRICANE AND WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE AND IF I WAKE UP DEAD I'M GONNA _KILL YOU!_"

Sakura took her phone back.

"Naruto, just calm down a sec, tell us where you're at."

"Oh, hi, Sakura-chan!" he said brightly, his tone cheerful and friendly. "How are you?"

"_Naruto…_"

"We're between two trees, I believe."

"That helps no one ever. How are we supposed to find you if you don't tell us where to look?"

"I already told you. There is a big tree here on the side of the road. It is next to a smaller tree. Some of the branches are touching and it looks like they're holding hands, doesn't it, Hinata-chan?"

Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose. "Naruto could you be a gem and hand the phone to someone _lucid?_ And preferably not Hinata-chan, she seems entirely unfit to communicate."

There was a moment's pause as the phone was grabbed up by someone else. Sakura exchanged an annoyed look with Sasuke, who was furious as he threw back the covers and stalked out of bed to get dressed again.

"Hey, Sakura." This time, it was Shikamaru, and Sakura was abruptly grateful to have someone with a shred of intellect to communicate with.

"Shikamaru. All right. I need you to tell me where you guys are."

"Just off the 201 Freeway. The third exit. We have a flat tire."

"I thought they said the car broke down."

"They did, because Hinata is three steps away from a heart attack and Naruto's doing nothing but encouraging it. And I'd put you on with Ino and Kiba, but as they seem convinced that this is the last night any of us will spend alive, they are attempting to…connect, in the backseat. Sakura I hate to be a bother but I really quite _insist_ you come pick us up before I kill everyone in this car."

"I'm not sure how we can help," Sakura sighed. "We're stuck at the hotel at the Kiri Airport. Our car's out of gas. It's a ten mile walk, Shikamaru. And it's a hurricane."

"Sakura I don't ask too much of you. But if you want to see any of your friends alive again…"

"All right, all right, I'll figure something out," she snapped. "Oh and I _so_ have not forgiven you yet for what happened with Temari, asshole."

Then she hung up and looked up at Sasuke, who was tugging on a T-shirt.

"Stay here," he muttered.

"Where are _you_ going?"

"The 201 Freeway, third exit."

"And how do you presume to get there?"

"Just go back to bed."

Sakura did the exact opposite, as per usual. She threw on the first clothes she could find: a discarded white shirt of Sasuke's and a pair of shorts, before shoving her feet into flipflops.

"We can't drive to meet them," Sakura said. "And it's ten miles. And it's the end of the world out there, Sasuke, like hell are you going anywhere."

"I'll go get a bike from the rental."

"Right. So you can ride a bike in the end of the world to replace a tire that Ino doesn't have a replacement for. This is good, Sasuke-kun, let's get out all these bad ideas first, so we can think of something coherent…now I want you to look in the smart part of your brain, and-"

"Get your annoying ass back to bed," Sasuke interjected. "I'm taking one of the tires off the Jetta."

"Oh shut up, fathead," Sakura retaliated, quickly losing her temper. It was late. She was tired. And she was in no mood to put up with Sasuke's bad attitude. "There's only one way we can make this happen. We are on a mission now. A mission to save our awful, awful friends who suck and are awful. It will require nothing less than perfect teamwork and I'll be honest with you, I have almost zero patience left. Do you understand."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"What are you thinking?"

Sakura smirked. She had exactly the right overdramatic epithet ready for just this occasion.

"So it's come to _this._"

Xoxoxo

Hinata was trembling head to toe.

This was how she died.

She was going to die in a broken-down Jeep on the side of the road, in the middle of a hurricane, surrounded by her asshole friends because _no one thought to check the tire pressure_ before they left.

She hugged her knees and rocked back and forth in the front seat; in the driver's seat, Shikamaru was pounding his head relentlessly against the steering wheel, perhaps to induce some type of coma from which it would be impossible to rouse him, and he could sleep forever like he'd always wanted. In the backseat, Kiba and Ino were expressing their mutual regret for their impending death in an illicit, carnal, most likely _illegal_ manner in the backseat. And Naruto was standing outside the Jeep, being blown this way and that by the relentless gale-force winds, snapping pictures on his cameraphone of the two trees that looked like they were holding hands.

_I have SO MANY REGRETS,_ she thought, threading her fingers through her newly-shorn hair. _I REGRET SO MUCH. I regret all the vodka I had last night. I regret coming on this trip in the first place. I regret ever befriending Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino, without whom I would have a boring, peaceful life free of danger. I regret…_

_Well, actually, I regret none of those things._

Getting drunk led to her macking on Naruto, which led to him professing his love for her, which lead to them becoming a couple. Coming on this trip had enabled all of that to happen. And she'd face the prospect of a boring, peaceful life free of danger without Sakura and Ino.

And that sort of life was not worth living.

_At least I die with a boyfriend,_ she thought, determined to find something happy about this unholy situation. _And I'll die with my friends so that's nice, too, I won't be alone. And even if they are all going to go to hell because they are all terrible people…_ And this she believed with absolute certainty.

She resorted to praying. She prayed that her death would be quick and painless. Perhaps the two trees Naruto was hero-worshipping outside would fall on them and crush them and it would be instant and they wouldn't even feel it.

The more likely option was that Shikamaru was going to strangle all of them one by one.

There was no hope. They were all going to die on the side of the road, attacked relentlessly by this bitch of a hurricane until there was nothing left of them but ashes and bones.

"HEY!" Naruto suddenly bellowed. Hinata looked out the window at him to see his face alight with jubilation. "_HEY!_"

Shikamaru looked up from the steering wheel, forehead bright red, eyes slightly dazed. Kiba and Ino extricated themselves from one another to see what was going on. Hinata squinted through the rain and storm and made out a curious sight in the distance. It was too dark to make out, but it looked like some strange two-headed organism, coming towards them at dizzying speed.

"It's the Grim Reaper!" wailed Ino. "Oh God oh GOD I fucking _hate Sakura._"

Here it was, the hour of their death. The Grim Reaper would arrive, deliver some bone-chilling speech before dragging them all with him to the Underworld. Hinata's heart almost stopped right there. Naruto was too dense to realize that what he was waving frantically, happily at was actually a demon of death and destruction.

He would be the first to fall.

The strange creature pulled to a stop, and dismounted from its chariot of hellfire and damnation. Hinata wished she would just faint already so she wouldn't have to hear its terrifying speech, so she wouldn't have to feel the icy grip of death around her wrist…

It came closer. It was wearing a black cloak of some kind, probably strips of skin sewn together from centuries of slaughter. Hinata let out an unintelligible squeal of terror. Kiba murmured, "This is it," and Ino dissolved into hysterical sobs.

It ripped open the driver's side door. Shikamaru released a hellish shriek of fright and leaned as far away from the creature as he could; seeing Shikamaru's terror (_Shikamaru,_ the voice of logic and reason and levelheadedness had Hinata's heart pumping so hard she was surprised it hadn't exploded. Fear such as she'd never before experienced overwhelmed her as the Grim Reaper spoke at last.

_"WHAT HATH GOD WROUGHT?"_ it thundered in unholy tones.

"Don't take me!" Ino sobbed suddenly. "Oh holy fuck I am way too young and way too hot to die. You can have Kiba!"

"Me?" Kiba snapped. "You ungrateful bitch, after all the great fucking sex I gave you?"

"Okay fine, take my friend Sakura," Ino said instead, imploring the Reaper who looked slightly taken aback from beneath his skin-cloak. "She's staying at the hotel in Kiri Airport. She's a fucking bitch. She wouldn't even let me see her hook up with her boyfriend. Oh, take him, too, for sure. He's an asshole. You don't want us, Reaper."

"Reaper?" it repeated, its tone different, not as raspy or scary but still quite deep and dark. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Its other head answered.

"They think we've come to reap their mortal souls!" This voice was feminine and full of laughter. Clearly the succubus, Hinata deduced, delighting in the prospect of five new souls to add to her demonic collection. "Oh Sasuke-kun that is _priceless._"

Sasuke-kun?

Hinata's eyes widened as the creature lowered its cloak. Ino screamed and covered her head, anticipating some gruesome decapitation, Kiba pushed Ino in front of him so she would be the first to die, Shikamaru let out a heavy sigh upon reaching the same conclusion that Hinata had, and Naruto shouted, "YOU CAME FOR US, TEME!"

And Hinata watched as the skin-cloak (nothing more than an oversized rain poncho) was pulled aside to reveal the faces of Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke looked thoroughly aggravated, Sakura deeply amused, as she cheerfully announced, "You guys are all dicks and you don't deserve to be friends with us."

Hinata, realizing they were saved, did what she should have done hours ago.

Passed the fuck out.

Xoxoxo

Sasuke was exhausted.

Not only had he spent hours (_hours)_ in bed with a feisty Sakura, he had also rode a bike (swiped from the rental area of the airport) ten miles in a hurricane with nothing to protect him but a plastic rain poncho (swiped from the gift shop of the airport). Sakura, meanwhile, was balancing herself precariously on the handlebars of his bike, holding onto the spare tire they would have to replace on Ino's Jeep. In the middle of said hurricane.

This was _not_ how he'd pictured spending his night. But the hazard of having dickbag friends like he did was that _nothing_ ever went according to plan.

That they all thought he was the Grim Reaper was mildly entertaining, heavily outweighed by the fact that his whole body ached and he wanted nothing more than to sleep.

"Tell me you have a jack," he said flatly to Ino, who was trying to calm herself down from an aneurysm.

"In the back," she panted, fanning herself. "Christ, I'm not going to live to see 20."

"Way ahead of you, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said brightly, holding the necessary tools and smiling despite the hurricane. Her poncho had fallen from her head and her long pink hair was drenched and whipping around in the rain, but it didn't appear to bother her.

He abruptly recalled the day she'd called him over to fix her sink. Remembering how unhappy she'd been to be so wet, he couldn't reconcile _that_ girl with the confident one who was approaching Ino's flat rear tire with all the intent in the world of replacing it.

He remembered also showing her how to do it, and was surprised (and thoroughly impressed) that she appeared to have remembered. She knelt in the muddy earth, unfussy at how dirty she was becoming, and without waiting for his help, began.

He smirked and bent down to lend a hand, but was met instead with a sweet kiss to his lips. Sakura pulled away and smiled beautifully at him, and he knew from the look in her eyes that she was remembering the last time they'd done this exact thing.

"You gonna help me or what, bitch?" she laughed.

And Sasuke, though he would never admit it, fell the tiniest bit more in love with her than he already was.

Xoxoxo

Naruto was relieved.

Sakura and Sasuke arrived like superheroes in the middle of the night, soaking wet and angry but helpful; they'd changed Ino's tire for them, and all seven of them had squeezed into the Jeep and headed back to the hotel in Kiri. Not only were their lives saved, they now had a plush four-star hotel room to sleep in.

What a good time!

And the best part about it was that Sasuke and Sakura seemed to have mended their relationship. There was nothing to suggest any lingering animosity between the two, judging by the way Sakura smiled up at Sasuke and he smiled back at her, and his hand rested on her knee as they pulled into the parking lot.

A quick run across the rainy expanse was no big deal, not with the prospect of a warm, soft bed to sleep in. Seven soaking wet teenagers made it through the airport, to the hotel lobby, up the elevator, and stopped before a door with gold filigree that looked just as fancy as it had in Naruto's imagination.

"Well, good night," Sakura said cheerfully. She and Sasuke disappeared behind the door and shut it after themselves.

Naruto blinked.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, knocking on it frantically. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Oh, right, silly me!" Sakura laughed. The door opened a crack, and she placed a Do Not Disturb sign on the doorknob. Then it slammed closed again. And locked.

Naruto glanced around at his four remaining friends, all of whom were glaring at him as though this was somehow _his_ fault.

And he came to one iron-clad conclusion:

He had the worst, meanest, most awful friends in existence.

And he wouldn't have them any other way.

Xoxoxo

**Note..** Almost done. Catch you later, jitterbugs! :)

And don't favorite without reviewing, lamebrain.


	64. No Place Like Home

"You know," said Ino thoughtfully, "this is really not how I expected this trip to end."

Kiba chuckled beside her. She let her eyes travel from his face, down his neck to the white T-shirt with the barbecue stain, and decided that she liked him very much indeed. Maybe enough to keep whatever this was, this little fling, going well into the first semester, and after that, who knows? Certainly not Ino.

But she'd learned a lot this summer. About life, about love, about her friends, and especially about herself.

She learned what she was willing to tolerate in a relationship; what she was not willing to tolerate. She learned to pursue and accept only the things she deserved, even if what she wanted was something else entirely.

She learned she was a selfish, selfish creature, and that's why this shallow thing with Kiba worked so well.

Her eyes flickered to Shikamaru, sitting in the front seat beside Suigetsu, who was driving; a baseball cap was drawn over his eyes, his arms propped up behind his head. He was sleeping, which was all the more hilarious, because Suigetsu was attempting to have a conversation with him that was decidedly one-sided.

Was Shikamaru the boy she loved? Yes. Absolutely.

Were they right for each other? No. Not yet, anyway.

It stung learning that what she wanted, or rather, _who _she wanted, wanted her right back. It would have been much easier to try and move on from him if her feelings were one-sided. Learning that Shikamaru loved her back, but that they weren't right for one another at this moment, was one of the hardest things she'd ever had to accept.

But just because they were wrong for each other right _now,_ didn't mean the same thing would be true later on.

Maybe, during college, or even after, they could both stop being so selfish and pursue the same love Naruto had found with Hinata, or Sasuke had found with Sakura. It gave her hope, at least, that maybe this wasn't The End of Shikamaru-and-Ino, but just Maybe-Later.

She stretched back in the seat and smiled beautifully at Kiba. For now, she would take the lessons she'd learned on this crazy trip. She would put Shikamaru on the back burner, out of sight but definitely not out of her heart. She would see where things went with the scruffy bad boy with his hand on her knee and she would start college as a new, improved Ino, flanked by her friends who, she knew, were newer and improved in their own ways as well.

The signpost ahead read: "KONOHA CITY LIMITS. 23 MILES."

She slid her shades over her eyes, kissed Kiba quickly on his cheek, and relished the thought that she was almost home.

Summer Road Trip?

SUCCESS.

* * *

><p>Kiba smirked as Ino kissed him, feeling remarkably self-satisfied.<p>

It had been a long, crazy summer indeed, and even if the road trip was over, vacation wasn't. There was still plenty of time before school started to fuck shit up back home, and he was looking forward to it like you wouldn't believe.

He'd left Konoha a month before as, frankly, a complete asshole. His obsessive crush on Sakura had nearly cost him his friendship with Sasuke; his jaw still throbbed a bit from the all-too-deserved punch he'd received at the cabin in the mountains. Resolving to let her go was the first unselfish thing he'd done in his life, and even if he still thought her to be one of the finest things he'd ever seen, it was a decision he did not regret.

Besides, her megahot best friend Ino was one sweet-ass consolation prize. Not that he'd be telling HER that; he valued his life.

Was this thing with Ino going to last forever? He doubted it, but that didn't mean they couldn't have a grand old time while it DID last. They were too similar to be truly compatible. He always saw her ending up with Shikamaru anyway, somewhere down the road.

But she was a great girl. He liked her, they had excellent physical chemistry, and it was a fun, healthy distraction for both of them. He'd ride this wave as long as it lasted.

Kiba missed his dog. Even if he could've gone on a thousand more adventures with this nut ass group of his best friends, he was glad to be going home to see Akamaru. His time back home a few days ago had been cut short, thanks to his second stint in jail, so he hadn't had the proper reunion he'd wanted. But there was so much to tell his beloved familiar.

Vaguely, he hoped Ino liked dogs.

Or else this shallow, fun little fling they were having was about to be cut prematurely short.

Kiba liked Sakura, and he liked Ino, but if there was one true love in his life, it was Akamaru.

And he didn't need a road trip to tell him that.

* * *

><p>"It was really great of you guys to do this," Sakura was saying up towards the front, to Karin, Juugo, and Suigetsu. "Stealing your mom's minivan and driving all the way here to give us a ride all the way back to Konoha?"<p>

At least, that's what Hinata THOUGHT Sakura was saying. It was difficult to tell, because she was making out with Naruto with the force of a thousand waterfalls, and through the roaring in her ears, it was impossible to discern what was happening around her.

If you had asked Hinata Hyuuga at the beginning of the summer, if she would be the type of girl to engage in remorseless, unabashed, animalistic displays of public affection, she would have blushed. Probably fainted. And that would have made things awkward for you.

If you had asked Hinata Hyuuga at the beginning of the summer, if she would be the type of girl to get sloppy drunk and confess undying love to the boy she loved undyingly, she would have skipped right past the blushing and _definitely_ fainted.

If you had asked Hinata Hyuuga at the beginning of the summer, if she would cut off her hair in a fit of independence, knock back shots with her girlfriends, be kidnapped by a group of stalker boys and attack her best friend's mother…

Well, it didn't really matter, did it? Because Hinata Hyuuga did ALL of those things. And now, with her lips on Naruto's and her heart in his hands and this crazy road trip coming to a close, she was so, so glad that she did.

Vaguely, she realized she should be grateful to their new friends from Oto. Upon hearing of their predicament (all of them stuck at the airport with no money and not enough tires between their two cars), they'd taken Suigetsu's parents' minivan and driven all the way to Kiri to collect them. Ten people fit comfortably in the van; what probably looked awkward was the Jetta and the Jeep, hooked up to the back of the van in a strange, caravan-type parade of cars to Konoha.

But there would be time for gratitude later. For now, she was completely content with kissing Naruto Uzumaki like her life depended on it, his hands in her short hair, and when she pulled back to speak to him at last, there was no stutter in her words at all:

"I want you to meet my father."

And when the color drained from Naruto's face, his wild blue eyes alight with horror, she threw her head of shortened black hair back and burst out laughing.

No stutter. No stammer. No blush.

Fearless.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru wasn't sleeping, but he didn't feel much like talking to Suigetsu, or anyone else for that matter. So pulling his hat over his eyes, he resigned himself to hours and hours of silent contemplation.<p>

Did he regret going on this trip?

You could make the argument that yes, yes he did. He'd been arrested, hooked up with an ex, broke it off with the girl of his dreams, watched said girl fornicate with one of his best friends, had approximately ten minutes of relaxation over the course of a month, lost all his money, nearly lost his dick as well (numerous times, thanks to said girl of his dreams), and had not one shred of dignity left to cling to.

That being said: he did NOT regret going on this trip. Not even a little bit.

Shikamaru was lazy, but he was also smart. And what started off as a shallow manhunt for three feisty girls who loved to be chased, turned into something else completely: a thorough, in-depth look at Shikamaru the person.

He learned more about himself this month than he had in years. What he wanted, what he needed, what he was willing to give and what his limitations were.

He loved a girl who loved him back, but it wasn't the right time for them. Shikamaru would normally have been devastated by that, but further reflection gave him hope for the future. Ino wasn't the kind of girl you just gave up on. Someday, he knew, it WOULD be the right time.

And when it came around, he wouldn't screw it up.

He'd made some friends, had some laughs, and even if 98% of this trip was dramatic, nonsensical FUCKERY, he'd had a great time.

And lazy as he was…

He'd do it all over again. In a heartbeat.

* * *

><p>Naruto finally extricated himself from Hinata with the kind of grin he'd only ever seen guys like Sasuke wear, and even then, only rarely: the kind of numb, disbelieving, shit-eating grin you grin when you mack on a girl you know is too good for you.<p>

He'd liked Hinata for ages, but before this crazy summer, he'd never believed she might like him back. Now, looking back at all the wasted years, he realized that maybe he'd been a bit slow on the uptake.

But whatever.

He'd been jealous of Sasuke for so long, secretly and heatedly; Sasuke, he'd known for years, was in love with Sakura, who was in love with him. And it was so _frustrating,_ being on the outside and having to look in at those two fucking idiots who were too oblivious and scared to realize what everyone else knew automatically. How many times had he told Sasuke, straight-up, that Sakura was into him, only to have Sasuke brush it off?

Now, though, he realized maybe he'd been a bit unfair. Looking at Hinata, he realized maybe there was never anything to have been jealous of at all. That sometimes, love affairs look different to people outside of them, and things will happen when they should happen.

He'd had one HELL of a great time on this trip. He couldn't fight the grin on his face as he looked around the minivan, at all these wonderful assholes he called his friends. New assholes like Suigetsu, Karin, and Juugo; old assholes like his asshole best friend Sasuke; female assholes like Sakura and the girls, and all of them, the people he cared about beyond any other.

Sakura suddenly turned around in her seat to face him with a smile on her face. It was angelic. It was sweet. It was…terrifying. Naruto knew that particular smile preceded a particularly painful beating.

"Uh…hi, Sakura-chan!" he said brightly, hoping to head her off. "Almost home, huh?"

"I just got a text, Naruto," she replied sweetly. "From Tenten, back home? Yeah, she sent me a picture of Jiraiya's newest erotic novel cover."

Naruto gulped as Sakura showed him the picture on her iPhone. A girl with pink hair, her lips pressed against the cheek of a tall boy with black hair. A girl, obviously Sakura, kissing a boy, obviously Sasuke.

"Um…I had nothing to do with it?" he offered weakly, even as Sasuke, seeing the picture on Sakura's phone, whirled around with the promise of eternal agony searing in his raging mad eyes.

"You do not even know your pain!" Sakura screamed.

"You fucking moron!" Sasuke snarled.

"Guys, let's not f-fight!" Hinata spoke up, the stammer in her voice far less pronounced. "We're almost home!"

Naruto couldn't help it; he burst out laughing.

The vacation may be over, but this was music to his ears. And it wasn't an ending at all.

Believe it.

* * *

><p>"Now promise you'll visit us," Karin said aggressively. She spoke directly to Sakura; Sasuke rolled his eyes.<p>

"I promise!" Sakura said with a sweet, winning smile as the two girls embraced. "Same to you, you gorgeous redheaded creature. Are you sure you don't want any money? That was so much gas!"

"Positive, sweetheart," Suigetsu said; Sasuke scowled at him. "You all inspired us to go on a road trip of our own, and we ain't never been all the way out to Konoha before. It's real nice."

They were standing in front of Sasuke's house, the group of ten, and it was nearly sunset. They'd unhitched the Jeep and the Jetta from the van, with the understanding that Sasuke would fix them both up when he got around to it. Phone numbers were exchanged before the Oto kids loaded up into the van.

"Oh, and Sasuke?" Karin sang.

He looked up with an eyebrow raised.

"It would never have worked between us, darling," she said with a twinkle in her red eyes.

Sasuke smirked and everyone waved as the van drove off, leaving seven tired, relatively-happy kids standing on the curb outside his apartment building.

Was he relieved the trip was over?

Yes. Yes he was.

Only so much time could be spent in the exclusive company of his best friends. They were a loud, wild, unpredictable group, and Sasuke lamented the fact that he'd fallen for the loudest, wildest, and most predictable one of them all.

Sakura, he knew, would continue to be a thorn in his side for the rest of their lives.

She was impossibly dramatic, she never let him get a word in edgewise to defend himself, she was as stubborn as he was and twice as hot-tempered.

She was also the girl of his fucking dreams, which meant he could take what was most unmanageable about her and try his very best to manage it.

Even if Sakura struck him as the nut-ass type of girlfriend who would stand over his bed as he slept and stare at him for hours with a kitchen knife in her hand.

She had her hair up in a ponytail off her neck, which bounced back and forth as she waved to the van retreating in the distance. A few dark marks here and there on the alabaster skin made him smirk, because after so many years of cat-and-mouse, she was finally his personal, exclusive headache, and never anyone else's.

And he'd do anything to keep that headache around.

The road trip was an annoying necessity that led them to this point. And even if the whole thing enraged him start to finish…

He didn't really have any other plans for the summer anyway.

Whatever.

* * *

><p>Sakura didn't have a favorite part in the road trip.<p>

Everything was equally fabulous.

Every hardship, every mistake, every fuck-up, every wrong turn, every kiss, every fight, all of it combined to make the best, most fun, most amazing summer adventure she'd ever had.

Contrary to popular belief, though, this wasn't all about Sasuke, and their tumultuous relationship. Even if she loved him with all of her heart, this trip was about something even greater than that:

Friendship.

She'd been to hell and back with these bitchass motherfuckers. Start to finish, she'd had her true friends by her side, and that's what summer's supposed to be about in the first place: having a bitchingass time with the girls who make you who you are.

She was going to be staying with Ino for the remainder of the summer. Once school started, the girls had secured a dorm room together at Konoha University. Till then, however, Sakura had absolutely no intentions of returning home to her asshole parents.

"Let's go, skank," Ino said, looping an arm around her best friend's shoulders. "I need my beauty sleep."

"You staying tonight, Sakura?" Sasuke asked carelessly, and she turned around to face him.

He looked so handsome in the gathering twilight, hands shoved in his pockets, his face expressionless, careless. She smiled at the picture he made and replied, "Nope. But if you wanted to take me out to dinner, you can pick me up at Ino's later on."

"You gonna make me hunt you down?" he asked. His tone was annoyed, but there was a playful, teasing shine in his silver-black eyes that made her heart race.

"I wouldn't dream of it," she replied with a playful, teasing smile of her own. She turned her back and headed towards Ino's place with her best friend, calling out one last goodbye to Sasuke that wasn't really a goobye at all.

"Catch you later!"

* * *

><p><strong>note..<strong> Aaaaand that's a wrap.

Thank you so so so much for all the reviews and alerts and favorites and everyone who read this crazy fucking shit start to finish. I had a great time writing this silly story and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed putting it out there for you. Let me know what you think! :)

Catch you later, duckies.

xoxo Daisy


	65. Epilogue

Konoha didn't get overly cold during the winters, which made Finals Week all the more unique. Sasuke looked outside to see snow falling, the dusty kind that didn't stick, but rare all the same. It was the talk all over campus, the unexpected snowfall. Sasuke didn't really see the appeal. Snow sucked if you weren't six years old.

He'd plodded through the sleet in a bad mood to his first final, and nearly slipped on a patch of ice and fallen right on his ass on the way back. Luckily, he'd kept himself balanced, but it did nothing to improve morale. Finals Week, especially the first one of college, tended to take quite a lot out of a person.

One down, four to go. Sasuke made the mistake of taking five classes that first semester, and even if he was decently intelligent and a hard worker, it was quite a lot on his plate. Especially with an entourage of asshole friends who needed to be entertained constantly, and an annoying (amazing) girlfriend who needed to be made out with constantly. Between classes, his social life, his (active) sex life, football, and a part-time job, Sasuke's first semester at college was busy, to say the least.

He sat in his dorm room, alone for once, poring over his Psychology textbook for his next final. Naruto was in the library studying with Hinata, which was earth-shattering news in and of itself; Sasuke couldn't remember Naruto setting foot in the library in high school even once. Maybe having a girlfriend really changed you.

A quick, unconscious glance at the framed photo on his desk, depicting a girl with pink hair kissing his cheek, the fondness on his face unmistakable, both of them wearing graduation gowns, confirmed that yes, it really did. To his mounting fury, Sasuke found that having Sakura around as a girlfriend instead of just a friend had a million advantages; why the hell hadn't he hooked up with her sooner?

It had taken years of self-loathing and denial, culminating in a summer-long road trip around the country full of badass fuckery to reach this point. He had a serious girlfriend he loved, even if she drove him batshit crazy 99.9 percent of the time. He had a drawer of her things in his bureau. He had the intoxicating scent of Victoria's Secret perfume on his sheets and all kinds of shit he never thought he'd want until he had it.

Smirking, he returned to his textbooks, only to have the door thrown open moments later. Looking up with a slight glare, he saw Sakura flounce inside the room, uninvited and unannounced. She looked as beautiful as ever in a Konoha hoodie and jeans, her long hair pulled back into a sloppy ponytail, her eyes bright.

"What're you smiling for?" he muttered. "It's Finals Week. Nothing to smile about."

She giggled and bent to kiss him on the cheek. Unsatisfied, he turned his face to kiss her properly; a minute passed, and Sasuke wondered if he would ever actually adjust to kissing Sakura Haruno. It was entirely too distracting and the last thing he needed to be doing with so little time (six hours) before his next final. But Sakura was annoying like that, and took up all his time and space and concentration without even asking for any of it.

She pulled back with a brilliant smile and replied, "Well, I've only got one final left and I feel really good about it."

He frowned. That was unlike Sakura Haruno. He knew her to be ridiculously booksmart, every teacher's dream student; she aced everything, was valedictorian back in high school and shaping up to be valedictorian in college, but she suffered from crippling pre-exam nerves. He'd had to talk her down off more than one ledge, listen to more than one rant about how "I'm stupid, I'm so fucking stupid and no one will ever hire me and I will be homeless and you will leave me because I won't have access to showers all the time and blah blah blah." He usually stopped listening after the first six minutes. She always did well in the end.

But to hear her speak so optimistically about her upcoming final had him suspicious. She should have degenerated into a mess of hysterical sobs and nervousness by now.

But there was nothing on her face except excitement. Mischief, maybe. And that made him anxious, because Sakura was prone to half-cocked fucked-up ideas like going on a summer-long road trip, that often culminated in extreme levels of stress for Sasuke. Something he simply couldn't afford during Finals Week, or any other time for that matter. Surely she'd filled her quota of driving him crazy for the decade?

"Well, I had this thought," she began, leaning back against the wall with her arms folded. Not liking this one bit, he turned to face her, arms folded as well to show resistance. "And before you shoot it down…I already bought your ticket."

"Ticket to what?" he demanded, his frown deepening. This wasn't going to end well, he knew it.

"Well, we've been working so hard lately. All of us. With school and work, and you did football and you were _awesome,_ and my dancing and tennis and everything…I think we need a break."

"A break."

"A vacation," she clarified, and he immediately shook his head.

"Absolutely not," he snapped, turning back to his studying. "No fucking way am I going on vacation with you. No. Never again."

"But Sasuke!" she whined. "You haven't even heard the whole plan!"

"Let me guess," he spat viciously. "You want me to load up my Jetta, which still hasn't recovered from all the abuse you put it through over the summer, by the way, and drive you wherever the hell you feel like going around Japan, is that it?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, which he knew she did only to infuriate him. If there was something he absolutely couldn't stand, it was the way Sakura knew every single button to press on him to rile him up. Good or bad.

"You couldn't be more wrong," she said dryly, examining her chipped pink nail polish as though it were a thousand times more fascinating than, say, her boyfriend. "Believe it or not, asshole, that trip turned me off road trips for quite a long time, thanks very much. I had a much more reasonable idea."

"You don't know the meaning of the word 'reasonable.' Whatever you're thinking, the answer is no."

"Fine," she sighed in surrender, standing up and dusting off her hands, symbolically cleansing herself of his negativity.

"Fine?" he echoed. It was unheard of for Sakura to surrender an argument so quickly. Getting her to admit she was wrong was like pulling teeth with no anesthesia.

"Fine," she repeated. "I guess I'll just have to go alone, then."

If Sasuke disliked the idea of going on vacation with Sakura, given their history, he _loathed_ the idea of her going anywhere alone. And she knew it. She was manipulating him.

It was working, but like hell would he admit that.

"Where," he demanded angrily, unable to read a single word of his notes with all this consternation.

"Oh, just three thousand miles away, to the Happiest Place on Earth. No big deal."

"Sakura…"

She folded first. "Sasuke I'm going to Disney World. I am. And you can't stop me. So I suggest you come with me! It's not just gonna be me, it'll be all of us! Naruto's bringing Hinata, and Ino's coming too, and I think she talked Kiba and Shikamaru and Sai into it also. It'll be awesome! It's _Disney World,_ Sasuke!"

"You're out of your mind. Like hell am I gonna take you to Disney World."

"Well, technicaly, I bought your plane ticket, so I would be taking YOU."

"It. Is. For. Children." Sasuke ground out the words, trying to work up the nerve to turn her down some more, when she looked so fucking adorable pouting like that. "It's three thousand miles away and it's for _children._"

"It's not just for children, you close-minded pigeon!" she snapped. "It's bitching and awesome for grown-ups, too! There's roller coasters and fireworks and shows and swimming and shit…Sasuke, Christmas in Disney World, think about it! Think about how fucking awesome that would be! It's snowing and shitty here in Konoha, but in _Florida?_ It's warm and it won't be as busy and all our friends are going basically so pleasepleaseplease?"

"Damn it, Sakura!"

"It's not like you have plans this Christmas anyways!" she snapped, which might have been a low blow, but remembering Sakura's shitty home life, really was just a statement of fact. Their plans till now had been to spend Christmas break at his apartment, alone. It seemed like a good arrangement to him.

"It's just for a week, okay? And it won't be like the last vacation. We won't be running and hiding from you trying to get you to admit you like me. We're taking a plane, and staying in the same hotel room, and just having a drama-free week in Disney World to take our minds off school and blahblahblah, yafeelme?"

He already felt his resolve weakening the way it usually did around Sakura. He never thought he'd be the kind of guy to submit so tamely to his girlfriend's outlandish demands, but here he was. She was talking him onto a plane, to head three thousand miles across the world to a kiddie paradise he had absolutely no desire to ever see, ever.

"We're just staying over Christmas. We'll be back by New Years, and…" Here, her eyes became witchy and seductive, which turned him on and terrified him all at once; in a moment, she was straddling his chair, sitting comfortably in his lap, her lips centimeters from his. "…then you'll have me all to yourself for a month till school starts again. And think about how pretty I'll look with a Florida tan."

"You're nowhere near as pretty as you think you are," he lied, just to annoy her, but she saw through him instantly.

"You're stalling, Sasuke," she murmured, pressing her lips against his lightly only to draw back when he tried to deepen the kiss. "Just say yes, baby. We'll have a great time, I promise."

His desire for her outweighed any reservations he might have been clinging to for salvation. Her hips pressed against his like that shut his brain down, and his hands lifted of their own accord to rest at her waist, thumbs hooked into the belt loops of her jeans. She bit her lip the way she knew he liked, and he cursed his lack of willpower before biting out, "No drama, huh?"

Sakura smiled so beautifully he thought she might be considering a career as a toothpaste model.

"It's a week in _Disney World,_ Sasuke!" she exclaimed, with all the deceptive innocence of a tiger. "What could _possibly_ go wrong?"

* * *

><p><strong>note..<strong> Your eyes do not deceive you. I like having a lot of things going on all at once, and I missed this universe and these characters a lot; since the beginning of Catch You Later, I had plans for a Disney World sequel that I let fall by the wayside with all the other things I'm working on. But I miss it, yo. So if you like it, then consider this the prequel to my next Sasuke/Sakura vacation story, coming soon! Let me know what you think, honeybooboochildren!

xoxo Day-zee. HALLELUJAHHOLLABACK.


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